GPR65, a critical regulator of Th17 pathogenicity, is regulated by the CREB/CRTC2 pathway

Abstract GPR65 has been shown to be a critical regulator of Th17 pathogenicity. Loss of GPR65 in mice results in a decrease in Th17 cells and reduced susceptibility to a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. The CREB/CRTC2 pathway has emerged as an important regulator of immune function. We have previously shown that the CREB/CRTC2 pathway modulates autoimmune disease by promoting differentiation of Th17 cells. In this study we performed RNA-seq to identify Th17 genes regulated by the CREB/CRTC2 pathway. Our RNA-seq analysis led us to uncover the first mechanism of regulation of the orphan receptor GPR65 by the CREB/CRTC2 pathway. We show that GPR65 is a target of the CREB/CRTC2 pathway through expression studies and chromatin immunoprecipitation. In addition, we show that targeting of GPR65 with small molecules alters the expression of IL-17A. Understanding the regulation of GPR65 will be crucial in developing small molecules to treat patients with Th17-mediated diseases.