An autoimmune transcriptional circuit drives FOXP3+ regulatory T cell dysfunction

Abstract

Autoimmune diseases, among the most common disorders of young adults, are mediated by genetic and environmental factors. Although CD4⁺FOXP3⁺ regulatory T cells (T_regs) play a central role in preventing autoimmunity, the molecular mechanism underlying their dysfunction is unknown. Here, we performed comprehensive transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling of T_regs in the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) to identify critical transcriptional programs regulating human autoimmunity. We found that up-regulation of a primate-specific short isoform of PR domain zinc finger protein 1 (PRDM1-S) induces expression of serum and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) independent from the evolutionarily conserved long PRDM1, which led to destabilization of forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) and T_reg dysfunction. This aberrant PRDM1-S/SGK1 axis is shared among other autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, the chromatin landscape profiling in T_regs from individuals with MS revealed enriched activating protein–1 (AP-1)/interferon regulatory factor (IRF) transcription factor binding as candidate upstream regulators of PRDM1-S expression and T_reg dysfunction. Our study uncovers a mechanistic model where the evolutionary emergence of PRDM1-S and epigenetic priming of AP-1/IRF may be key drivers of dysfunctional T_regs in autoimmune diseases.