@article{WetzelScholtkaSchumacheretal.2021,
  author    = {Wetzel, Alexandra Nicole and Scholtka, Bettina and Schumacher, Fabian and Rawel, Harshadrai Manilal and Geisend{\"o}rfer, Birte and Kleuser, Burkhard},
  title     = {Epigenetic DNA methylation of EBI3 modulates human interleukin-35 formation via NFkB signaling},
  series = {International journal of molecular sciences},
  volume    = {22},
  journal   = {International journal of molecular sciences},
  number    = {10},
  publisher = {MDPI},
  address   = {Basel},
  issn      = {1422-0067},
  doi       = {10.3390/ijms22105329},
  pages     = {21},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Ulcerative colitis (UC), a severe chronic disease with unclear etiology that is associated with increased risk for colorectal cancer, is accompanied by dysregulation of cytokines. Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 3 (EBI3) encodes a subunit in the unique heterodimeric IL-12 cytokine family of either pro- or anti-inflammatory function. After having recently demonstrated that upregulation of EBI3 by histone acetylation alleviates disease symptoms in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-treated mouse model of chronic colitis, we now aimed to examine a possible further epigenetic regulation of EBI3 by DNA methylation under inflammatory conditions. Treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (DNMTi) decitabine (DAC) and TNF alpha led to synergistic upregulation of EBI3 in human colon epithelial cells (HCEC). Use of different signaling pathway inhibitors indicated NF kappa B signaling was necessary and proportional to the synergistic EBI3 induction. MALDI-TOF/MS and HPLC-ESIMS/MS analysis of DAC/TNF alpha-treated HCEC identified IL-12p35 as the most probable binding partner to form a functional protein. EBI3/IL-12p35 heterodimers (IL-35) induce their own gene upregulation, something that was indeed observed in HCEC cultured with media from previously DAC/TNF alpha-treated HCEC. These results suggest that under inflammatory and demethylating conditions the upregulation of EBI3 results in the formation of anti-inflammatory IL-35, which might be considered as a therapeutic target in colitis.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WetzelScholtkaGereckeetal.2020,
  author    = {Wetzel, Alexandra Nicole and Scholtka, Bettina and Gerecke, Christian and Kleuser, Burkhard},
  title     = {Epigenetic histone modulation contributes to improvements in inflammatory bowel disease via EBI3},
  series = {Cellular and molecular life sciences},
  volume    = {77},
  journal   = {Cellular and molecular life sciences},
  number    = {23},
  publisher = {Springer International Publishing AG},
  address   = {Cham (ZG)},
  issn      = {1420-682X},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00018-020-03451-9},
  pages     = {5017 -- 5030},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterized by relapsing-remitting inflammatory episodes paralleled by varying cytokine levels, suggesting that switching epigenetic processes might be involved. However, the epigenetic impact on cytokine levels in colitis is mostly unexplored. The heterodimeric interleukin (IL)-12 cytokine family have various functions in both pro- and anti-inflammatory processes. The family member IL-35 (EBI3/IL-12p35) was recently reported to play an anti-inflammatory role in UC. Therefore, we aimed to investigate a possible epigenetic regulation of the IL-35 subunits in vitro and in vivo, and to examine the epigenetic targeting of EBI3 expression as a therapeutic option for UC. Exposure to either the pro-inflammatory TNF alpha or to histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) significantly increased EBI3 expression in Human Colon Epithelial Cells (HCEC) generated from healthy tissue. When applied in combination, a drastic upregulation of EBI3 expression occurred, suggesting a synergistic mechanism. Consequently, IL-35 was increased as well. In vivo, the intestines of HDACi-treated wild-type mice exhibited reduced pathological signs of colitis compared to non-treated colitic mice. However, the improvement by HDACi treatment was completely lost in Ebi3-deficient mice (Ebi3(-/-)). In fact, HDACi appeared to exacerbate the disease phenotype in Ebi3(-/-). In conclusion, our results reveal that under inflammatory conditions, EBI3 is upregulated by the epigenetic mechanism of histone acetylation. The in vivo data show that the deficiency of EBI3 plays a key role in colitis manifestation. Concordantly, our data suggest that conditions promoting histone acetylation, such as upon HDACi application, improve colitis by a mechanism involving the local formation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-35.},
  language  = {en}
}