Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation 1 as a novel therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis

Emerging evidence suggests that mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation 1 (MALT1) is a key regulator of inflammatory diseases; however, the pathological role of MALT1 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not well understood. Consequently, this protein has not been therapeutically targeted for the treatment of RA. MALT1 plays a role in the paracaspase pathway, has proteolytic activity and is involved in the regulation of inflammatory responses. In this study, we found that the MALT1-targeting inhibitory small molecule, MALT1 selective inhibitor 2-chloro-N-[4-[5-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3-(2-methoxyethoxy)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl]phenylacetamide (MI-2) strongly suppresses the differentiation of monocytes into osteoclasts in the absence or presence of the inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor α. Furthermore, MI-2 ameliorates pathologic bone erosion and synovitis in an in vivo mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis. Mechanistically, MI-2 blocked expression of the master osteoclast regulator – nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1) – by inhibiting nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), which is a critical regulator of NFATc1. These findings highlight the important regulatory role of MALT1 in the NF-κB–NFATc1-signalling axis during osteoclastogenesis and suggest that targeting MALT1 is a promising treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis.