Prolonged Wnt3a exposure tolerizes macrophages to inflammatory stimuli

RNA sequencing of macrophages treated continually for 5 days with Wnt3a demonstrated upregulation in genes associated with chemotaxis, cytokine activity, and both pro- and anti-inflammatory phenotypes. A time-course of Wnt3a treatment revealed acute upregulation of the inflammatory cytokines Il6, Tnf, and Il12b. Later timepoints showed upregulation of anti-inflammatory and regulatory markers, such as Arg1 and Il10. Finally, re-treating with classic inflammatory cytokines revealed a Wnt-induced tolerant phenotype.