DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeh8465 ISSN: 2375-2548

Lipid-sensing GPR183-KRAS signaling mediates T H 17 autoimmunity and identifies fluvoxamine repurposing in uveitis

Chun Zhang, Xiuxing Liu, Nanwei Xu, Hui Chen, Yuehan Gao, Chenyang Gu, Xinyue Shen, Junying Wu, Xuejing Lu, Pei Zhang, Yuxuan He, Zhuping Xu, Wenru Su

Autoimmune uveitis (AU) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness driven by pathogenic T helper 17 (T H 17) cell–mediated inflammation, yet current therapies are limited by efficacy and side effects, with immunometabolic mechanisms remaining poorly defined. By integrating single-cell RNA sequencing and multilayered metabolomic profiling in patients with AU and experimental AU models, we identified the lipid-sensing G protein–coupled receptor GPR183 as a key immunometabolic regulator in pathogenic CD4 + T cells. Upon activation, GPR183 modulates intracellular signaling via suppression of cyclic adenosine monophosphate–cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and promotion of son-of-sevenless–dependent KRAS activation, which in turn elicits copper overload–induced mitochondrial oxidative stress, structural impairment, and metabolic rewiring toward glycolysis, thereby promoting T H 17 cell pathogenicity. For clinical translation, virtual screening of Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs coupled with molecular docking and microscale thermophoresis validation identified fluvoxamine (FLV) as a direct GPR183 antagonist. In in vivo and in vitro uveitis and colitis models, FLV attenuated GPR183-KRAS signaling, dampened pathogenic T H 17 cell responses, and alleviated tissue inflammation. These findings delineate a unique GPR183-KRAS–mitochondrial damage axis governing T H 17-driven autoimmunity and support repurposing FLV as a translatable therapeutic approach for AU and other autoimmune inflammatory disorders.

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