Our latest study reveals a critical link between cellular metabolism and gene regulation in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Enric Mocholi found that activated CD4+ T cells in JIA patients undergo a metabolic shift towards glycolysis, directly influencing histone acetylation and gene expression, fueling inflammation.
Key Findings:
- JIA CD4+ T cells show increased glycolysis, driving disease-specific H3K27ac histone acetylation and gene transcription.
- Blocking glycolysis or pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) significantly reduces inflammatory gene expression, suggesting potential metabolic-targeted therapies.
- The inflammatory environment in JIA synovial fluid itself reprograms healthy T cells, reinforcing this glycolysis-acetylation link.
Why Does This Matter?
These findings provide support for targeting metabolism to reshape the epigenome of inflammatory T cells and help modulate immune responses in JIA and beyond.
Many thanks to all our essential collaborators, particularly ReumaNederland, for supporting this work.
Read the full study here