P2Y2 purinergic receptor and DNA sensor cGAS dictate ionizing radiation-mediated proinflammatory macrophage activation

Abstract

The reprogramming of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) by radiotherapy is associated with cancer patients response and sensitization to immune checkpoint blockade, but the molecular mechanisms involved remain largely unknown. Here, we show that following ionizing radiation (IR), macrophages accumulate single and double strand-DNA breaks and fragmented mitochondria in their cytosol, and stabilize the DNA sensor cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS). We demonstrate that mitochondrial fragmentation is induced by the activation of the dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), and controls the stabilization of cGAS and the proinflammatory activation of irradiated macrophages. Furthermore, pharmacological and genetic inhibitions of cGAS impair the proinflammatory activation of irradiated macrophages, thus revealing that cGAS is a central effector of IR-mediated proinflammatory macrophage activation. Interestingly, we also report that the purinergic receptor P2Y2 acts as an endogenous repressor of the proinflammatory macrophage activation and demonstrate that P2Y2 inactivation enhances the capacity of irradiated macrophages to undergo a proinflammatory activation. Our results thus define a new signaling pathway elicited in macrophages by IR directing mitochondrial dynamics, cytosolic DNA recognition by cGAS and proinflammatory phenotype, which is enhanced following P2Y2 inactivation.