Homeostasis and transitional activation of regulatory T cells require c-Myc

J Saravia, H Zeng, Y Dhungana, D Bastardo Blanco… - Science …, 2020 - science.org
J Saravia, H Zeng, Y Dhungana, D Bastardo Blanco, TLM Nguyen, NM Chapman, Y Wang…
Science advances, 2020science.org
Regulatory T cell (Treg) activation and expansion occur during neonatal life and
inflammation to establish immunosuppression, yet the mechanisms governing these events
are incompletely understood. We report that the transcriptional regulator c-Myc (Myc)
controls immune homeostasis through regulation of Treg accumulation and functional
activation. Myc activity is enriched in Tregs generated during neonatal life and responding to
inflammation. Myc-deficient Tregs show defects in accumulation and ability to transition to an …
Regulatory T cell (Treg) activation and expansion occur during neonatal life and inflammation to establish immunosuppression, yet the mechanisms governing these events are incompletely understood. We report that the transcriptional regulator c-Myc (Myc) controls immune homeostasis through regulation of Treg accumulation and functional activation. Myc activity is enriched in Tregs generated during neonatal life and responding to inflammation. Myc-deficient Tregs show defects in accumulation and ability to transition to an activated state. Consequently, loss of Myc in Tregs results in an early-onset autoimmune disorder accompanied by uncontrolled effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. Mechanistically, Myc regulates mitochondrial oxidative metabolism but is dispensable for fatty acid oxidation (FAO). Indeed, Treg-specific deletion of Cox10, which promotes oxidative phosphorylation, but not Cpt1a, the rate-limiting enzyme for FAO, results in impaired Treg function and maturation. Thus, Myc coordinates Treg accumulation, transitional activation, and metabolic programming to orchestrate immune homeostasis.
AAAS