Recombinant Treponema pallidum Protein Tp47 Promoted the Phagocytosis of Macrophages by Activating NLRP3 Inflammasome Induced by PKM2-Dependent Glycolysis.

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Glycolysis is a critical pathway in cellular glucose metabolism that provides energy and participates in immune responses. However, whether glycolysis is involved in NOD-like receptor family protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and phagocytosis of macrophages in response to Treponema pallidum infection remains unclear. To investigate the role of glycolysis in activating the NLRP3 inflammasome for regulating phagocytosis in macrophages in response to Treponema pallidum protein Tp47 and its associated mechanisms. Interactions between activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and phagocytosis and the role of glycolysis in Tp47-treated macrophages were investigated through experiments on peritoneal macrophages and human monocytic cell line-derived macrophages. Activation of phagocytosis and NLRP3 inflammasome were observed in Tp47-treated macrophages. Treatment with NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 or si-NLRP3 attenuated Tp47-induced phagocytosis. Glycolysis and glycolytic capacity were enhanced by Tp47 stimulation in macrophages, and a change in the levels of glycolytic metabolites (phosphoenolpyruvate, citrate, and lactate) was induced by Tp47 in macrophages. Inhibition of glycolysis with 2-deoxy-D-glucose, a glycolysis inhibitor, decreased the activation of NLRP3. Expression of M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2), an enzyme catalyzing a rate-limiting reaction in the glycolytic pathway, was upregulated in Tp47-stimulated macrophages. Inhibition of PKM2 with shikonin or si-PKM2 decreased glycolysis and NLRP3 activation. Tp47 promotes phagocytosis in macrophages by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome, which is induced by the enhancement of PKM2-dependent glycolysis.