Sepsis Induces Age- and Sex-Specific Chromatin Remodeling in Myeloid-derived Suppressor Cells

Sepsis survivors frequently develop long-term immune dysfunction, but the epigenetic mechanisms driving persistent myeloid suppression remain poorly defined. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), key immunoregulatory cells that expand during sepsis, exhibit altered function influenced by host age and sex. Here, we provide the first high-resolution epigenetic map of MDSCs following sepsis using the MAPit-FENGC method, which enables simultaneous single-molecule profiling of DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility across ∼100 immune-related promoters. We employed a murine model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) with daily chronic stress in both young and old, male and female mice, and isolated splenic MDSCs for MAPit-FENGC analysis.

Unsupervised clustering revealed nine distinct promoter classes based on chromatin state dynamics, including classes that gain accessibility after sepsis (Classes 1–4), remain persistently closed (Class 5), or undergo age-dependent repression post-sepsis (Classes 6–8). Notably, Class 1 and 3 promoters (e.g., S100a9 , Mmp8 ) showed robust sepsis-induced nucleosome-free region (NFR) formation across all groups, with heightened accessibility in older females. Class 2 promoters such as Nos2 and Cxcr2 required advanced age for activation in females, while Class 4 promoters were uniquely induced in females regardless of age. Conversely, Classes 6–8, including key regulatory genes such as Cd274 , Il10 , and Nfkbiz , lost accessibility exclusively in older septic mice, despite paradoxical DNA demethylation suggesting chromatin remodeling rather than methylation governs repression in aged hosts. Single-cell RNA sequencing of MDSC subsets corroborated promoter class distinctions, linking accessibility with transcriptional activity. These findings provide a foundation for understanding how epigenetic reprogramming, indicative of innate immune training or tolerance, of MDSCs might contribute to the divergent immune outcomes observed in different sepsis survivor populations. The resolution of select sepsis-responsive epigenetic “classes” and their members suggests these could be utilized as age or sex-specific candidate biomarkers or therapeutic targets.