Chemical Inhibition of the ROR?t-dependent Transcriptional Network in Th17 cells [RNA-Seq]

ROR?t is a transcription factor required for T helper 17 (Th17) cell development. We identified three ROR?t-specific inhibitors that suppress Th17 cell responses including Th17 cell-mediated autoimmune disease. We systemically characterized ROR?t binding data in the presence and absence of drug with corresponding whole-transcriptome sequencing for wild-type and ROR?t-deficient cells. ROR?t is central in a densely interconnected regulatory network, acting both as a direct activator of genes important for Th17 cell differentiation and as a direct repressor of genes from other T-cell lineages. The three inhibitors identified here reversed both of these modes of action, but to varying extents and through distinct mechanisms. Whereas one inhibitor displaced ROR?t from its target-loci, the two more potent inhibitors affected transcription predominantly without removing DNA-binding. Our work illustrates the power of a system-scale analysis of transcriptional regulation to characterize potential therapeutic compounds that inhibit pathogenic Th17 cells and suppress autoimmunity. Overall design: Transcriptional profiling of Th17 cells under chemical perturbations of ROR?t, DMSO, and knockout of ROR?t