Sex-specific KDM6A-HNF4A-CREBH network controls lipoprotein cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis via epigenetic reprograming of hepatocytes

Journal article

The liver is a central organ controlling lipid and cholesterol metabolism and plays a key role in regulating lipoprotein profiles and cardiovascular disease risk. Males and females show clear differences in cholesterol handling and susceptibility to atherosclerosis, but the molecular basis for these sex-specific effects remains incompletely understood. Here we show that the X-linked histone demethylase 6 A (KDM6A) is essential for maintaining healthy cholesterol metabolism in the liver. Reducing KDM6A levels in human liver cells  from females but not males disrupts gene programs involved in lipoprotein regulation linked to cardiovascular disorders. Consistently, female mice lacking KDM6A specifically in hepatocytes develops pro-atherogenic blood lipoprotein profiles and increased atherosclerosis under genetic and dietary stress, whereas males are largely unaffected. Mechanistically, KDM6A cooperates with Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 Alpha (HNF4A) to promote chromatin activation and enable CREBH (encoded by CREB3L3)-dependent transcription of lipid metabolic genes. These findings identify KDM6A as a sex-linked regulator of hepatic cholesterol metabolism.

Authors: Chen, L; Kang, Z; Härdfeldt, J; Li, Z; Pedrelli, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Publication date: 2026-03-23
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70846-w
• EISSN: 2041-1723
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• Language: English
• Keywords: Cholesterol; Chromatin; Regulator; Hepatocyte; Epigenetics; Transcription factor; Lipoprotein; Histone; Demethylase