Tumor Necrosis Factor Suppresses NR5A2 Activity and Intestinal Glucocorticoid Synthesis to Sustain Chronic Colitis

Intestinal crypt epithelial cells synthesize glucocorticoids, steroid hormones that protect against inflammatory bowel disease. To investigate how intestinal glucocorticoids are regulated during chronic inflammation, we induced chronic colitis in mice by exposing them to the chemical dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). We found that intestinal glucocorticoid secretion and expression of the genes Cyp11a1 and Cyp11b1 (which encode enzymes that synthesize glucocorticoids) were initially stimulated, but declined during the chronic phase, whereas tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and inflammatory cytokines secreted by T helper type 1 (T(H)1) and T(H)17 cells continuously increased in abundance in the inflamed colon. This suggested that inadequate intestinal glucocorticoid synthesis is a feature of chronic intestinal inflammation. We screened for cytokines that regulated intestinal glucocorticoid synthesis and found that TNF suppressed corticosterone secretion and Cyp11a1 and Cyp11b1 expression in an intestinal crypt epithelial cell line. TNF suppressed steroidogenesis by activating the transcription factors c-Jun and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B), which both interacted with the transcription factor NR5A2 and repressed Cyp11a1 reporter activity. This repression was relieved by expression of a dominant-negative form of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1), inhibitor of NF-kappa B, or by a JNK inhibitor. Furthermore, the dominant-negative TNF inhibitor XPro 1595 inhibited c-Jun and NF-kappa B activation in mice, restored intestinal Cyp11a1 and Cyp11b1 expression, reduced colonic cell death, and rescued chronic colitis caused by DSS. Thus, during chronic colitis, TNF suppresses intestinal steroidogenic gene expression by inhibiting the activity of NR5A2, thus decreasing glucocorticoid synthesis and sustaining chronic inflammation.