β-Adrenergic regulation of metabolism in macrophages

Macrophages have important roles in the immune system including clearing pathogens and wound healing. Metabolic phenotypes have been associated with functional phenotypes, where pro-inflammatory macrophages have an increased rate of glycolysis and anti-inflammatory macrophages primarily use oxidative phosphorylation. β-adrenoceptor (βAR) signalling in macrophages has been implicated in disease states such as cancer, atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The impact of β-adrenoceptor signalling on macrophage metabolism has not been defined. Here we expand on defining the phenotype of macrophages treated with isoprenaline and describe the impact that βAR signalling has on the metabolome and proteome. We found that βAR signalling alters proteins involved in cytoskeletal rearrangement and redox control of the cell. We showed that βAR signalling in macrophages shifts glucose metabolism from glycolysis towards the tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathways. We also show that βAR signalling perturbs purine metabolism by accumulating adenylate pools. Taken together these results indicate that βAR signalling shifts metabolism to support redox perturbations and upregulate proteins involved in cytoskeletal changes that may impact migration and phagocytosis processes.