The biallelic Interleukin-10 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at -1082 of the promoter region linked to individual variation in cytokine inducibility has been strongly implicated in several pathological conditions including the development of, and outcomes in, septic shock during pneumococcal infection, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and cardiac dysfunction. However, the molecular basis of the SNP-mediated variable IL-10 production levels has not been explored. Here we report that the -1082G>A alleles in the promoter region of the human IL-10 gene physically interact with a nuclear protein in an allele-specific manner that results in different levels of IL-10 transcription. This protein has been identified as poly ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP-1). We show that PARP-1 acts as a transcription repressor, and its DNA-binding activity is strongly regulated in macrophages that engulf apoptotic cells but not stimulated with lippopolysaccharides. These findings unveil a novel role of PARP-1 in the regulation of IL-10 production in an allele-dependent way, which determines individual susceptibility to sepsis-induced inflammatory pathology and the immunological sequelae in a physiological process where clearance of infection-induced apoptotic cells by professional phagocytes triggers the cytokine synthesis.