Antagonism of Integrin CD11b Affords Protection against Endotoxin Shock and Polymicrobial Sepsis via Attenuation of HMGB1 Nucleocytoplasmic Translocation and Extracellular Release

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a chromatin-binding nuclear protein, plays a critical role in sepsis by acting as a key "late-phase" inflammatory mediator. Integrin CD11b is essential for inflammatory cell activation and migration, thus mediating inflammatory responses. However, it is unclear whether CD11b participates in the development of sepsis. In this study, we report that CD11b contributes to LPS-induced endotoxin shock and microbial sepsis, as antagonism of CD11b with the CD11b blocking Ab or CD11b inhibitor Gu-4 protects mice against LPS- and microbial sepsis-related lethality, which is associated with significantly diminished serum HMGB1 levels. Consistent with this, CD11b-deficient mice were more resistant to microbial sepsis with a much lower serum HMGB1 level compared with wild-type mice. Pharmacological blockage and genetic knockdown/knockout of CD11b in murine macrophages hampered LPS-stimulated HMGB1 nucleocytoplasmic translocation and extracellular release. Furthermore, silencing CD11b interrupted the interaction of HMGB1 with either a nuclear export factor chromosome region maintenance 1 or classical protein kinase C and inhibited classical protein kinase C-induced HMGB1 phosphorylation, the potential underlying mechanism(s) responsible for CD11b blockage-induced suppression of HMGB1 nucleocytoplasmic translocation and subsequent extracellular release. Thus, our results highlight that CD11b contributes to the development of sepsis, predominantly by facilitating nucleocytoplasmic translocation and active release of HMGB1.