Journal of Immunology 2015-09-15

Cutting Edge: AhR Is a Molecular Target of Calcitriol in Human T Cells.

Mariko Takami, Kotaro Fujimaki, Michael I Nishimura, Makio Iwashima

Index: J. Immunol. 195 , 2520-3, (2015)

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Abstract

The immunoregulatory functions of vitamin D have been well documented in various immunological disorders, including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and asthma. IL-10 is considered a chief effector molecule that promotes the vitamin D-induced immunosuppressive states of T cells and accessory cells. In this article, we demonstrate that the active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol), has a profound inhibitory effect on the development of human Th9, a CD4 T cell subset that is highly associated with asthma, in an IL-10-independent manner. Our data show that calcitriol represses the expression of BATF, a transcription factor essential for Th9, via suppressing the expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor, without an increase in IL-10. The data show a novel link between vitamin D and two key transcription factors involved in T cell differentiation. Copyright © 2015 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.