Suppressed activation of the <i>IRF7</i> and <i>TLR9</i> by <i>JAK2</i>V617F gold nanoparticles

Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (Ph-MPNs) are characterized by the overproduction of myeloid cells and a lack of response to cytokine signaling, along with genomic instability and the accumulation of nucleic acids in the cytoplasm. In this study, we investigated the effects of oligonucleotide-gold nanoparticle conjugates (ON-GNPs) targeting JAK2 or JAK2V617F mRNAs on nucleic acid-sensing pathways in HEL, SET2, and K562 cell lines. We evaluated changes in gene expression related to TLR9 and cGAS/STING pathways, RAGE/TLR9 receptor dynamics, and inflammatory cytokine release over short-term (0.5-2 h) and long-term (24-72 h) exposures. Our results demonstrated that ON-GNPs transiently suppressed TLR9, IRF7, and NFKB1 expression during the short term, followed by significant upregulation after 24 h, persisting up to 72 h. Notably, JAK2V617F-targeting ON-GNPs induced heightened IRF7 activation in HEL and SET2 cells after 24 h without affecting TLR9/RAGE expression. Additionally, IL-8 secretion increased in HEL and SET2 culture media after 72 h, correlating with interferon pathway activation. This study reveals that complementary ON-GNPs can modulate nucleic acid-sensing pathways, suppressing IL-8 and inflammatory signaling in the short term while inducing delayed activation of TLR9 and IRF7 in the presence of JAK2V617F. These findings provide a promising foundation for developing ON-GNP-based therapeutic strategies to manage inflammation and disease progression in Ph-MPNs.