ISG15 orchestrates dynamic crosstalk between mitochondrial fat oxidation and type 1 interferon in myeloid cells

In contrast to Krebs cycle intermediates, the role of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in immunometabolism remains incompletely characterized. Studying primary bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), we show that IFN-β and STING activation augments FAO and associated enzymes carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (CPT1a) and acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 1 (ACAT1). Depleting BMDM Cpt1a reduces FAO and dampens type 1 interferon (IFN) signaling due to decreased histone H3-K9/K14 acetylation, supporting the prior finding of an epigenetic role of FAO in sustaining type 1 IFN. Interestingly, FAO induction by IFN was dynamic as a heightened IFN response suppressed FAO, suggesting a concurrent negative-feedback mechanism. This FAO blunting correlated with increased expression of interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), a ubiquitin-like modifier known to modulate metabolic proteins through ISGylation. This immune-metabolic signature was similarly operational in mice infected with lymphocytic choriomenigitis virus (LCMV) with temporal discordance between ISG15 levels and FAO. The role of ISG15 in this negative feedback was shown with increased FAO and type 1 IFN response in Isg15 knockout BMDMs. Parallely, endogenous co-immunoprecipitation showed interactions between ISG15 and CPT1a/ACAT1. This ISG15-FAO regulatory interaction was also evident in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-associated interferonopathy and in primary monocytes from SLE individuals that exhibited increased ISG15 levels and reduced FAO rates. Collectively, these findings support a model in which type 1 IFN initially enhances FAO to amplify interferon production, but excessive IFN-signaling induces ISG15-mediated inhibition of FAO, a putative feedback loop that restrains inflammation and preserves immune homeostasis. Together these data identify a novel biphasic FAO-dependent immunometabolic regulatory program.