PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHT

Choline Uptake and Metabolism Modulate Macrophage IL-1β and IL-18 Production

In a new mouse study, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine discovered a unique approach that might help treat some chronic inflammatory diseases: force cells to eliminate damaged mitochondria before they activate the NLRP3 inflammasome.

The study, published April 11, 2019 by Cell Metabolism, was led by senior author Michael Karin, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology and Pathology and Ben and Wanda Hildyard Chair for Mitochondrial and Metabolic Diseases at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and first author Elsa Sanchez-Lopez, PhD, a senior postdoctoral researcher in Karin's lab.

Highlights of Study:

*   LPS stimulates choline uptake and phosphorylation via CTL1 induction

*   Impaired choline uptake or phosphorylation reduces mitochondrial ATP synthesis

*   Reduced ATP synthesis leads to AMPK activation and induction of mitophagy

*   By causing mitophagy, ChoKα inhibition prevents NLRP3-dependent inflammation

Dr. Karin is also the Project Leader of Project 1 for the UCSD Superfund Research Center in which this study was partially funded.

To read more about this research, please visit the study where it is published online in the Cell Metabolism (April 11,2019).

Media Source: UC San Diego Health News - News Release

Published study:

Sanchez-Lopez, E., Zhong, Z., Stubelius, A., Sweeney, S.R., Booshehri, L.M., Antonucci, L., Liu-Bryan, R., Lodi, A., Terkeltaub, R., Lacal, J.C., Murphy, A.N., Hoffman, H.M., Tiziani, S., Guma, M., Karin, M. Choline Uptake and Metabolism Modulate Macrophage IL-1β and IL-18 Production. Cell Metab. 2019 Jun 4;29(6):1350-1362.e7.
doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2019.03.011  PMID: 30982734  PMCID: PMC6675591

For more information, please visit the following UCSD Superfund Research Project:

UCSD Superfund Research Center - Project 1 for the UCSD Superfund Research Center
Dr. Michael Karin
Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology, Ben and Wanda Hildyard Chair for Mitochondrial and Metabolic Diseases, American Cancer Society Research Professor at the University of California, San Diego