ISG15 is involved in chondrogenic differentiation through activation of IFN-γ signaling

Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) was found to increase in the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). However, few studies have been conducted to elucidate the role of IFN-γ in cartilage metabolism and regeneration. In this study, we investigated whether cartilage regeneration is driven by interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) under the control of IFN-γ. IFN-γ significantly increased ITS-induced chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells. Knockdown of IFN-γ receptor (IFN-γR) inhibited IFN-γ-induced chondrogenic differentiation and reduced ACAN and Col II expression. In addition, ISG15 expression was highly elevated in response to IFN-γ, whereas its expression was downregulated by knockdown of IFN-γR, indicating that ISG15 is closely related to IFN-γ signaling. Furthermore, chondrogenic differentiation and expression of ACAN and Col II were significantly reduced following knockdown of ISG15 in ATDC5 cells despite the presence of IFN-γ. ISGylation of cellular proteins found in chondrogenic differentiated cells was related to activation of IFN-γ signaling. In addition, ISG15/ISGylation was significantly observed in the regenerated cartilage tissue 7 days after FTCI of young mice compared with sham control. Our findings showed that upregulation of ISG15 and/or ISGylation of cellular proteins may play a critical role in cartilage regeneration through activation of IFN-γ signaling.