Metallothionein 3 Controls the Phenotype and Metabolic Programming of Alternatively Activated Macrophages (Cell Reports)

Metabolic reprograming in interleukin (IL)-4-stimulated macrophages (M(IL-4) macrophages) have a distinct polarization and metabolic phenotype. Chowdhury et al. show that metallothionein 3 (MT3) is required for M(IL-4) polarization and oxidative metabolism. MT3 suppresses glycolysis and the emergence of a proinflammatory M1 program. MT3 is a gatekeeper that subverts interferon (IFN?) responses and intracellular defenses in M(IL-4) macrophages.