Nuclear carbonic anhydrase 6B associates with PRMT5 to epigenetically promote IL-12 expression in innate response

Significance The immune system is important for host defense against invading pathogens by producing proinflammatory cytokines and IFNs. IL-12 is a vital proinflammatory cytokine that combines innate immunity with adaptive immunity. In our study, we find that CA-VI B preferentially expressed in macrophages can interact with PRMT5, consequently suppressing H3R8me2s modification in Il12 promoters to promote IL-12 production to trigger an antibacterial immune response. Our study adds insight about the function of CA family members in innate immune response by selectively inducing cytokine IL-12 production through regulating histone arginine modification, which is independent of its carbonic anhydrase activity.