UC Irvine

Neutrophils are an important source of interleukin (IL)-1β and other cytokines because they are recruited to sites of infection and inflammation in high numbers. Although secretion of processed, bioactive IL-1β by neutrophils is dependent on NLRP3 and Gasdermin D (GSDMD), IL-1α secretion by neutrophils has not been reported. In this study, we demonstrate that neutrophils produce IL-1α following injection of Aspergillus fumigatus spores that express cell-surface β-glucan. Although IL-1α secretion by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/ATP-activated macrophages and dendritic cells is GSDMD dependent, IL-1α secretion by β-glucan-stimulated neutrophils occurs independently of GSDMD. Instead, we found that bioactive IL-1α is in exosomes that were isolated from cell-free media of β-glucan-stimulated neutrophils. Further, the exosome inhibitor GW4869 significantly reduces IL-1α in extracellular vesicles (EVs) and total cell-free supernatant. Together, these findings identify neutrophils as a source of IL-1α and demonstrate a role for EVs, specifically exosomes, in neutrophil secretion of bioactive IL-1α.