Poster Presentation Lorne Infection and Immunity 2023

MLKL deficiency protects against sterile inflammation and immunosenescence in aged mice (#203)

Emma C. Tovey Crutchfield 1 2 3 , Sarah E. Garnish 1 2 , Jessica Day 1 2 4 , Holly Anderton 1 2 , Shene Chiou 1 2 , Anne Hempel 1 , Cathrine Hall 1 , Komal M. Patel 1 , Pradnya Gangatirkar 1 , Connie S.N. Li Wai Suen 1 , Alexandra L. Garnham 1 , Andrew J. Kueh 1 2 , Ueli Nachbur 1 2 , Andre L. Samson 1 2 , James M. Murphy 1 2 , Joanne M. Hildebrand 1 2
  1. Inflammation Department, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  2. Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  3. The Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  4. Department of Rheumatology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

MLKL and RIPK3 are the core signaling proteins of the inflammatory cell death pathway, necroptosis, which is a known mediator and modifier of human disease.  Recently, reports have suggested a novel role for necroptosis in aging, particularly in the male reproductive system. However, whether other age-related phenotypes emerge in necroptosis-deficient mice, remains unknown. Here we present the first comprehensive analysis of age-dependent phenotypes in a cohort of littermate-controlled, Mlkl-/- and Ripk3-/- mice on a congenic C57BL/6J genetic background. We show that genetic deletion of Mlkl, but not Ripk3, in female mice interrupts immune system aging, specifically delaying the age-related reduction of circulating lymphocytes. Mlkl-/- female mice were also protected against age-related, low-grade chronic sterile inflammation, with a reduced number of inflammatory infiltrates present in the connective and muscle tissue at 17 months relative to wild-type littermates. Our observations implicate MLKL in sterile inflammation and immunosenescence, the age-dependent decline in immune function, in mice. We anticipate our study to be a starting point for more in-depth analyses of necroptosis-driven aging in mice and humans. Furthermore, these results will inform ongoing studies into the potential human indications for necroptosis-targeted therapies.