Epigenetic control of DAMPs-trained monocytes in inflammatory diseases

Professor Michel Neidhart, PhD, Center of Experimental Rheumatology, University Hospital Zürich

The innate immune system has recently shown to have cellular memory. Thus, monocytes can keep information about past stimuli. The response to unrelated further stimuli can be enhanced, by e.g. increasing the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This phenomenon has been termed “trained immunity” and is associated with epigenetic changes, such as active histone marks. Trained immunity could constitute a common mechanism between various inflammatory diseases, for example partly explaining the common comorbidities of rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases. Understanding the epigenetic mechanism associated to this phenomenon would help to develop novel therapeutic strategies.