BATF2 is a regulator of interferon-γ signaling in astrocytes during neuroinflammation

Astrocytic interferon (IFN)γ signaling is associated with a reduction in neuroinflammation. We have previously shown that the benefits of astrocytic IFNγ arise from a variety of mechanisms; however, downstream effectors responsible for regulating this protection are unknown. We address this by identifying a specific transcription factor that may play a key role in modulating the consequences of IFNγ signaling. RNA-sequencing of primary human astrocytes treated with IFNγ revealed basic leucine zipper ATF-like transcription factor (BATF)2 as a highly expressed interferon-specific gene. Primarily studied in the periphery, BATF2 has been shown to exert both inflammatory and protective functions; however, its function in the central nervous system (CNS) is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that human spinal cord astrocytes upregulate BATF2 transcript and protein in an IFNγ-specific manner. Additionally, we found that BATF2 prevents overexpression of interferon regulatory factor (IRF)1 and IRF1 targets such as Caspase-1, which are known downstream pro-inflammatory mediators. We also show that Batf2−/− mice exhibit exacerbated clinical disease severity in a murine model of CNS autoimmunity, characterized by an increase in both CNS immune cell infiltration and demyelination. Batf2−/− mice also exhibit increased astrocyte-specific expression of IRF1 and Caspase-1, suggesting an amplified interferon response in vivo. Further, we demonstrate that BATF2 is expressed primarily in astrocytes in MS lesions and that this expression is co-localized with IRF1. Collectively, our results further support a protective role for IFNγ and implicate BATF2 as a key suppressor of overactive immune signaling in astrocytes during neuroinflammation.