Glucocorticoid-mediated immune-metabolic reprogramming of macrophages

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Gerhard Krönke
• Subject Area: Immunology ; Rheumatology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550772961

Our data suggest that Glucocorticoids (GC) promote an increase in pyruvate dehydrogenase activity and a consecutive citrat cycle acceleration in pro-inflammatory macrophages. This GC-induced metabolic reprogramming seems to rely on non-genomic properties of the Glucocorticoidreceptor and results in the exacerbated and sustained production of the anti-inflammatory metabolite itaconate as well as a consecutive inhibition of the inflammatory response in inflammatory macrophages. In the proposed project, we aim to further dissect the molecular mechanisms that control the GC-mediated regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase and citric acid cycle activity and seek to understand the relevance of these events for the pro-resolving and anti-inflammatory properties of GCs during the treatment of Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Jean-Philippe Auger