Fibroblast-encoded inflammatory memory orchestrates recurrent skin inflammation via NNMT-dependent metabolic remodeling
Authored by Yifan Zhou , Kang Li , Yuming Xie , Chencan Su , Zhiguo Li , Yang Yang , Pei Qiao , Wanting Liu , Yaxing Bai , Ke Xue , Johann E. Gudjonsson , Gang Wang , and Shuai Shao
Posted
April 30, 2026
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bioRxiv
Abstract
Chronic skin inflammation frequently recurs at the same anatomical sites after therapy withdrawal, implying stromal cells may encode local inflammatory memory. Here, we identified nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) as a central metabolic-epigenetic regulator of fibroblast inflammatory memory enabling psoriasis relapse. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics revealed that dermal fibroblasts acquire a persistent senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) during inflammation, maintaining pro-inflammatory niche in resolved skin that supports CD 8 + CD 103 + tissue-resident memory T cell (Trm) differentiation. Multi-omics profiling demonstrated that NNMT depletes S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), reduces H 3K 27me3 deposition, and permits sustained AP-1 occupancy at SASP gene promoters. Fibroblast-specific NNMT ablation or pharmacologic inhibition suppressed SASP activity, limited Trm accumulation, and prevented both initiation and relapse of skin inflammation in mice. These findings establish NNMT as a stromal regulator linking fibroblast metabolism to durable epigenetic memory and propose its targeting to erase inflammatory memory and achieve long-term remission in psoriasis and related immune-mediated diseases.
Abstract Figure Graphic Abstract:
Proposed mechanism through which NNMT-driven fibroblast SASP facilitates the initiation and recurrence of psoriasis
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