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GATA2 controls alveolar macrophage inflammatory gene expression and metabolic function

Morgan Jackson-Strong,¹ Satarupa Ganguly,¹ Aaron Francis,¹ Flavia Rago,² Jitendra Kanshana,³ Brandon A. Michalides,¹ Lihong Teng,³ Omkar S. Betsur,¹ Sonia Kruszelnicki,¹ Karsen E. Shoger,¹ Aaron Kim,¹ Kay Bajpai,¹ Amina Suleyman,¹ Abigail Sekyere,¹ Mika Hara,⁴ Varsha Sriram,⁴ Alok Kumar,¹ Greg M. Delgoffe,¹ Niranjana Natarajan,³ John F. Alcorn,² Alison B. Kohan,² and Rachel A. Gottschalk¹

Published February 19, 2026 - More info

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) catabolize lipid-rich pulmonary surfactant to support gas exchange and have anti-inflammatory programming to limit tissue damage in response to minor challenges. GATA transcription factors (TFs) shape immune cell fates and GATA2 is expressed in a lung-specific manner in macrophages. GATA2 mutations and lung macrophage downregulation of GATA2 have been associated with chronic pulmonary pathologies in humans, but the role of GATA2 in coordinating AM function is not well defined. Using mice with myeloid-specific deletion of the GATA2 DNA binding C-terminal zinc finger domain, we show that GATA2 deficiency promotes enhanced inflammatory gene expression and metabolic dysfunction in AMs in response to type 2 stimuli. While homeostatic functions of AMs remain largely intact, GATA2 deficiency increases expression of type 2 response genes during IL-33-induced inflammation. Coincident with GATA2-dependent expression of genes in metabolic pathways, seahorse metabolic flux analysis indicates that AM metabolism is compromised in the absence of GATA2. AM GATA2-dependent gene networks are enriched for targets of TFs previously demonstrated to interact with GATA2 in other cellular contexts, including PU.1, PPARγ, and other regulators of AM function. Our data suggest that GATA2 modulates AM metabolic and transcriptomic programming to restrain responses and maintain AM identity during inflammation.

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