Interleukin-38 is a negative regulator of trained immunity—A retrospective multi-omics study

Abstract

Trained immunity is a long-lasting innate immune cell phenotype with benefits in infection control and recognized anti-cancer effects. Conversely, inappropriately induced trained immunity contributes to pathological inflammation, warranting the exploration of regulatory pathways. We explore interleukin-38 (IL-38) as a regulator of trained immunity in vivo in a cohort of 325 healthy adults vaccinated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Using multi-omics profiling, we find that IL-38 is negatively associated with trained immunity on metabolic and epigenetic level. Genetic variants in IL1F10, encoding for IL-38, further link IL-38 to diminished training responses. These associations were validated in human and murine models. We confirmed that IL-38 functionally impairs anti-microbial traits of trained immunity in trained immunity-infection models in vivo (IL-38KO mice) and in vitro (human monocytes). Our study therefore suggests that IL-38 endogenously regulates the induction of trained immunity in humans in vivo.