Oxidized LDL Induces Pro-Inflammatory Transcriptomic and Epigenomic Responses in Human CD4+ T Cells.

Brown TA., Chalisey A., Jiang J., O'Callaghan CA.

Elevated circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a key risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). The pathogenesis of CAD is multifactorial, driven by heritable and lifestyle-related risk factors. Although CD4+ T cells are one of the main cell types in atherosclerotic lesions, their interaction with atherogenic oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) remains poorly understood. Therefore, we sought to characterize the transcriptomic and epigenomic consequences of ox-LDL on activated human CD4+ T cells. We find that ox-LDL causes a shift towards a pro-inflammatory, cytokine-producing CD4+ T cell transcriptomic state. Concurrently, ox-LDL induces genome-wide changes in chromatin accessibility, notably in promoter regions. By integrating our multiomic data, we identify the NRF1 and SP1 transcription factors as likely mediators of ox-LDL-induced changes in gene expression. In contrast, the influence of AP-1 related factors over CD4+ T cell gene expression decreases following ox-LDL stimulation. We leveraged our multiomic data to investigate the disease relevance of ox-LDL exposure, by investigating genomic locations where CAD-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms were found within dynamic ox-LDL-regulated accessible chromatin regions. Together, we demonstrate a disease-relevant role for ox-LDL in atherogenic conditioning of CD4+ T cells. Understanding such cell-type specific interactions with CAD risk factors may facilitate the development of targeted therapies for CAD.

DOI

10.1096/fj.202503657r

Type

Journal article

Publication Date

2026-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

Volume

40

Addresses

Centre for Human Genetics, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Keywords

CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Humans, Inflammation, Lipoproteins, LDL, Epigenesis, Genetic, Coronary Artery Disease, Epigenomics, Transcriptome

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