2. Academic Validation
  3. Itaconate is an anti-inflammatory metabolite that activates Nrf2 via alkylation of KEAP1

Itaconate is an anti-inflammatory metabolite that activates Nrf2 via alkylation of KEAP1

  • Nature. 2018 Apr 5;556(7699):113-117. doi: 10.1038/nature25986.
Evanna L Mills 1 2 3 4,  Dylan G Ryan 1,  Hiran A Prag 5,  Dina Dikovskaya 6,  Deepthi Menon 1,  Zbigniew Zaslona 1,  Mark P Jedrychowski 2 3,  Ana S H Costa 7,  Maureen Higgins 6,  Emily Hams 8,  John Szpyt 3,  Marah C Runtsch 1,  Martin S King 5,  Joanna F McGouran 9,  Roman Fischer 10,  Benedikt M Kessler 10,  Anne F McGettrick 1,  Mark M Hughes 1,  Richard G Carroll 1 4,  Lee M Booty 4 5,  Elena V Knatko 6,  Paul J Meakin 11,  Michael L J Ashford 11,  Louise K Modis 4,  Gino Brunori 12,  Daniel C Sévin 13,  Padraic G Fallon 8,  Stuart T Caldwell 14,  Edmund R S Kunji 5,  Edward T Chouchani 2 3,  Christian Frezza 7,  Albena T Dinkova-Kostova 6 15,  Richard C Hartley 14,  Michael P Murphy 5,  Luke A O'Neill 1 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
  • 2 Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
  • 3 Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
  • 4 GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnelswood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK.
  • 5 MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK.
  • 6 Jacqui Wood Cancer Centre, Division of Cancer Research, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK.
  • 7 MRC Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, UK.
  • 8 School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
  • 9 School of Chemistry, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
  • 10 Nuffield Department of Medicine, Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK.
  • 11 Division of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK.
  • 12 GlaxoSmithKline, Park Road, Ware, Hertfordshire, UK.
  • 13 Cellzome, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Heidelberg, Germany.
  • 14 WestCHEM School of Chemistry, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
  • 15 Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
PMID: 29590092 DOI: 10.1038/nature25986
Abstract

The Endogenous Metabolite itaconate has recently emerged as a regulator of macrophage function, but its precise mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Here we show that itaconate is required for the activation of the anti-inflammatory transcription factor Nrf2 (also known as NFE2L2) by lipopolysaccharide in mouse and human macrophages. We find that itaconate directly modifies proteins via alkylation of cysteine residues. Itaconate alkylates cysteine residues 151, 257, 288, 273 and 297 on the protein KEAP1, enabling Nrf2 to increase the expression of downstream genes with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities. The activation of Nrf2 is required for the anti-inflammatory action of itaconate. We describe the use of a new cell-permeable itaconate derivative, 4-octyl itaconate, which is protective against lipopolysaccharide-induced lethality in vivo and decreases cytokine production. We show that type I interferons boost the expression of Irg1 (also known as Acod1) and itaconate production. Furthermore, we find that itaconate production limits the type I interferon response, indicating a negative feedback loop that involves interferons and itaconate. Our findings demonstrate that itaconate is a crucial anti-inflammatory metabolite that acts via Nrf2 to limit inflammation and modulate type I interferons.

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