Oxidized LDL Induces Pro-Inflammatory Transcriptomic and Epigenomic Responses in Human CD4⁺ T Cells

Elevated circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a key risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). The pathogenesis of CAD is multifactorial, driven by heritable and lifestyle-related risk factors. Although CD4⁺ T cells are one of the main cell types in atherosclerotic lesions, their interaction with atherogenic oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) remains poorly understood. Therefore, we sought to characterize the transcriptomic and epigenomic consequences of ox-LDL on activated human CD4⁺ T cells. We find that ox-LDL causes a shift towards a pro-inflammatory, cytokine-producing CD4⁺ T cell transcriptomic state. Concurrently, ox-LDL induces genome-wide changes in chromatin accessibility, notably in promoter regions. By integrating our multiomic data, we identify the NRF1 and SP1 transcription factors as likely mediators of ox-LDL-induced changes in gene expression. In contrast, the influence of AP-1 related factors over CD4⁺ T cell gene expression decreases following ox-LDL stimulation. We leveraged our multiomic data to investigate the disease relevance of ox-LDL exposure, by investigating genomic locations where CAD-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms were found within dynamic ox-LDL-regulated accessible chromatin regions. Together, we demonstrate a disease-relevant role for ox-LDL in atherogenic conditioning of CD4⁺ T cells. Understanding such cell-type specific interactions with CAD risk factors may facilitate the development of targeted therapies for CAD.