Filamin A editing in myeloid cells reduces intestinal inflammation and protects from colitis.

Abstract

Patho-mechanistic origins of ulcerative colitis are still poorly understood. The actin cross-linker filamin A (FLNA) impacts cellular responses through interaction with cytosolic proteins. Posttranscriptional A-to-I editing generates two forms of FLNA: genome-encoded FLNAQ and FLNAR. FLNA is edited in colon fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells. We found that the FLNA editing status determines colitis severity. Editing was highest in healthy colons and reduced during murine and human colitis. Mice that exclusively express FLNAR were highly resistant to DSS-induced colitis, whereas fully FLNAQ animals developed severe inflammation. While the genetic induction of FLNA editing influenced transcriptional states of structural cells and microbiome composition, we found that FLNAR exerts protection specifically via myeloid cells, which are physiologically unedited. Introducing fixed FLNAR did not hamper cell migration but reduced macrophage inflammation and rendered neutrophils less prone to NETosis. Thus, loss of FLNA editing correlates with colitis severity, and targeted editing of myeloid cells serves as a novel therapeutic approach in intestinal inflammation.