The Role of the Histone Methyltransferase Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) in the Pathobiological Mechanisms Underlying Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

J Biol Chem
Authors
Abstract

Regulatory T (Treg) cells expressing the transcription factor FOXP3 play a pivotal role in maintaining immunologic self-tolerance. We and others have shown previously that EZH2 is recruited to the FOXP3 promoter and its targets in Treg cells. To further address the role for EZH2 in Treg cellular function, we have now generated mice that lack EZH2 specifically in Treg cells (EZH2(Δ/Δ)FOXP3(+)). We find that EZH2 deficiency in FOXP3(+) T cells results in lethal multiorgan autoimmunity. We further demonstrate that EZH2(Δ/Δ)FOXP3(+) T cells lack a regulatory phenotype in vitro and secrete proinflammatory cytokines. Of special interest, EZH2(Δ/Δ)FOXP3(+) mice develop spontaneous inflammatory bowel disease. Guided by these results, we assessed the FOXP3 and EZH2 gene networks by RNA sequencing in isolated intestinal CD4(+) T cells from patients with Crohn's disease. Gene network analysis demonstrates that these CD4(+) T cells display a Th1/Th17-like phenotype with an enrichment of gene targets shared by FOXP3 and EZH2. Combined, these results suggest that the inflammatory milieu found in Crohn's disease could lead to or result from deregulation of FOXP3/EZH2-enforced T cell gene networks contributing to the underlying intestinal inflammation.

Year of Publication
2017
Journal
J Biol Chem
Volume
292
Issue
2
Pages
706-722
Date Published
2017 Jan 13
ISSN
1083-351X
DOI
10.1074/jbc.M116.749663
PubMed ID
27909059
PubMed Central ID
PMC5241744
Links
Grant list
R01 AI089714 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
R01 DK052913 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States