Short-chain fatty acids modulate the development and the cell surface molecule expression of DCs by epigenetic...

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced by the gut microbiota as secondary metabolites during fermentation process of dietary fibers. Although SCFAs are beneficial for immuno-related diseases because they regulate the gene expression and functions of myeloid cells, the effects of SCFAs on the development of DCs remain unclear.

We analyzed the effect of SCFAs on the expression levels of surface proteins and mRNAs, and histone modification in Flt3L-induced bone marrow-derived DCs.

SCFAs, particularly butyrate, regulated the expression of surface molecules on mouse bone marrow-derived DCs: increases in MHCII, CD86, CD11b, and LPAM-1 (α4β7) levels and the ratio of CD11c⁺/PDCA-1^-/B220^- conventional DCs (cDCs) to CD11c⁺/PDCA-1⁺/B220⁺ plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs). Experiments using inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDAC) and Gi proteins, and GPR109A deficient mice indicated that butyrate regulated DCs by suppression of HDACs and not through a stimulatory effect on G protein-coupled receptors. Butyrate and the HDAC inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA), increased the cDC/pDC ratio, surface LPAM-1 and Itga4 mRNA, while the mRNA level of Itgb7 was not affected by butyrate and was reduced by TSA. ChIP assays showed that butyrate and TSA increased histone acetylation in the Itga4 and Spi1 genes. Furthermore, the butyrate treatment increased the levels of Spi1 mRNA and PU.1 protein and decreased those of Spib/SpiB in DCs. In knockdown (KD) experiments using siRNAs, the gene expression of Itga4 was decreased by KD of Spi1 or Irf8, and cDC/pDC ratio decreased by Spi1 KD.

Butyrate controls the gene expression and development of DCs through epigenetic regulation and DC-related transcription factors.