Peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor δ limits the expansion of pathogenic Th cells during central nervous system autoimmunity

Peroxisome proliferator–activated receptors (PPARs; PPAR-α, PPAR-δ, and PPAR-γ) comprise a family of nuclear receptors that sense fatty acid levels and translate this information into altered gene transcription. Previously, it was reported that treatment of mice with a synthetic ligand activator of PPAR-δ, GW0742, ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), indicating a possible role for this nuclear receptor in the control of central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune inflammation. We show that mice deficient in PPAR-δ (PPAR-δ−/−) develop a severe inflammatory response during EAE characterized by a striking accumulation of IFN-γ+IL-17A− and IFN-γ+IL-17A+ CD4+ cells in the spinal cord. The preferential expansion of these T helper subsets in the CNS of PPAR-δ−/− mice occurred as a result of a constellation of immune system aberrations that included higher CD4+ cell proliferation, cytokine production, and T-bet expression and enhanced expression of IL-12 family cytokines by myeloid cells. We also show that the effect of PPAR-δ in inhibiting the production of IFN-γ and IL-12 family cytokines is ligand dependent and is observed in both mouse and human immune cells. Collectively, these findings suggest that PPAR-δ serves as an important molecular brake for the control of autoimmune inflammation.