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The cholesterol biosynthesis pathway regulates IL-10 expression in human Th1 cells.

Esperanza PeruchaRossella MelchiottiJack A BibbyWing WuKlaus Stensgaard FrederiksenCeri A RobertsZoe HallGaelle LeFriecKevin A RobertsonPaul LavenderJens Gammeltoft GerwienLeonie S TaamsJulian L GriffinEmanuele de RinaldisLisa G M van BaarsenClaudia KemperPeter GhazalAndrew P Cope
Published in: Nature communications (2019)
The mechanisms controlling CD4+ T cell switching from an effector to an anti-inflammatory (IL-10+) phenotype play an important role in the persistence of chronic inflammatory diseases. Here, we identify the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway as a key regulator of this process. Pathway analysis of cultured cytokine-producing human T cells reveals a significant association between IL-10 and cholesterol metabolism gene expression. Inhibition of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway with atorvastatin or 25-hydroxycholesterol during switching from IFNγ+ to IL-10+ shows a specific block in immune resolution, defined as a significant decrease in IL-10 expression. Mechanistically, the master transcriptional regulator of IL10 in T cells, c-Maf, is significantly decreased by physiological levels of 25-hydroxycholesterol. Strikingly, progression to rheumatoid arthritis is associated with altered expression of cholesterol biosynthesis genes in synovial biopsies of predisposed individuals. Our data reveal a link between sterol metabolism and the regulation of the anti-inflammatory response in human CD4+ T cells.
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