Mechanical sensing protein PIEZO1 controls osteoarthritis via glycolysis mediated mesenchymal stem cells-Th17 cells crosstalk
Yikun Zhou, Mingzhao Li, Shuai Lin, Zilu Zhu, Zimeng Zhuang, Shengjie Cui, Liujing Chen, Ran Zhang, Xuedong Wang, Bo Shen, Chider Chen, Ruili Yang
Abstract
Abstract Aberrant mechanical stimuli can cause tissue attrition and activate mechanosensitive intracellular signaling, impacting the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). However, the precise relationship between mechanical loading and bone metabolism remains unclear. Here, we present evidence that Piezo1 senses the mechanical stimuli to coordinate the crosstalk between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and T helper 17 (Th17) cells, leading to the deterioration of bone and cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA). Mechanical loading impaired the property of MSCs by inhibiting their osteo-chondrogenic differentiation and promoting inflammatory signaling to enhance Th17 cells. Mechanistically, mechanical stimuli activated Piezo1, thereby facilitating Ca 2+ influx which upregulated the activity of Hexokinase 2(HK2), the rate-limiting enzyme of glycolysis. The resultant increase in glycolytic activity enhanced communication between MSCs and T cells, thus promoting Th17 cell polarization in a macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) dependent manner. Functionally, Wnt1cre; Piezo1 fl/fl mice reduced bone and cartilage erosion in the temporomandibular joint condyle following mechanical loading compared to control groups. Additionally, we observed activated Piezo1 and HK2-mediated glycolysis in patients with temporomandibular joint OA, thereby confirming the clinical relevance of our findings. Overall, our results provide insights into how Piezo1 in MSCs coordinates with mechano-inflammatory signaling to regulate bone metabolism.