Characterization of the immune response to Mycobacterium marinum infection in zebrafish
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Mycobacterium marinum infection in zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been widely used to study human tuberculosis because the bacteria causing these two diseases are close relatives. We studied the zebrafish immune response to M. marinum infection through a whole-genome level transcriptome analysis. As expected based on the literature, our results showed the induction of genes coding proteins associated to immune signaling, cell migration and acute phase response indicating that the immune response to M. marinum infection in zebrafish is similar than the response to tuberculosis causing Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans.
Project description:Mycobacterium marinum infection in zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been widely used to study human tuberculosis because the bacteria causing these two diseases are close relatives. We studied the zebrafish immune response to M. marinum infection through a whole-genome level transcriptome analysis. In addition, we carried out a medium-scale forward genetic screen to identify genes underlying defense mechanisms against M. marinum infection in zebrafish. Our aim was to gain more information about the genetic mechanisms important in the immune defense against human tuberculosis. In this screen, we identified a mutant zebrafish line with impaired resistance to a low-dose M. marinum infection. In this line, the transcriptome analysis at 14 days post infection revealed decreased expression of a gene homologous to human UNC119 which has been shown to have a role in T cell activation.
Project description:Zebrafish is a natural host of various Mycobacterium species and a surrogate model organism for tuberculosis research. Mycobacterium marinum (M. marinum) is evolutionarily most closely related to M. tuberculosis and shares the majority of virulence genes. Although zebrafish is not a natural host of the human pathogen, we have previously demonstrated successful robotic infection of zebrafish embryos with M. tuberculosis and performed drug treatment of the infected larvae. In the present study we examined for how long M. tuberculosis can be propagated in zebrafish larvae and tested a time series of infected larvae to study the transcriptional response via Illumina RNAseq. Granuloma-like structures carrying fluorescently labeled M. tuberculosis could be detected up to 9 days post infection. The continued presence of viable M. tuberculosis in the zebrafish larvae was further confirmed using the molecular bacterial load assay. The infected larvae showed a clear and specific transcriptional immune response with a high similarity to the response of zebrafish larvae infected with the surrogate species M. marinum. We conclude that M. tuberculosis can be propagated in zebrafish larvae for at least one week after infection and provide further evidence that M. marinum is a good surrogate model for M. tuberculosis.
Project description:Zebrafish Mycobacterium marinum infection has been widely used to model human tuberculosis because these two diseases share common features, e.g. latency, granuloma formation and reactivation. Here we infected adult zebrafish with a low dose of M. marinum, which usually leads to a chronic infection. At 14 days post infection we performed microarray analysis to characterize the immune response against this infection. Analysis was done using total RNA extracted from the abdominal organs of zebrafish. Our aim was to find novel genes underlying host defense mechanisms against M. marinum infection in zebrafish, and thus to produce novel information that is valuable when developing new treatments for human tuberculosis.
Project description:Mycobacteria infect macrophages that aggregate with additional macrophages and lymphocytes to form granulomas. We have used a functional genomics approach to identify immune response genes expressed during granuloma formation in Mycobacterium marinum-infected transparent zebrafish larvae where individual infection steps can be viewed in real time. We assessed RNA expression profiles from zebrafish larvae that were either infected with Mycobacterium marinum or mock-infected. Zebrafish infections were performed at 1 day post-fertilization (dpf), and samples were derived from pools of 6dpf zebrafish larvae. Keywords: host response to infection
Project description:Mycobacteria infect macrophages that aggregate with additional macrophages and lymphocytes to form granulomas. We have used a functional genomics approach to identify immune response genes expressed during granuloma formation in Mycobacterium marinum-infected transparent zebrafish larvae where individual infection steps can be viewed in real time. We assessed RNA expression profiles from zebrafish larvae that were either infected with Mycobacterium marinum, mock-infected, or uninfected. Zebrafish infections were performed at 1 day post-fertilization (dpf), and samples were derived from pools of 6dpf zebrafish larvae. Keywords: host response to infection
Project description:Mycobacterium avium is the most common nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) species causing infectious disease. Here, we characterized a M. avium infection model in zebrafish larvae, and compared it to M. marinum infection, a model of tuberculosis. Using RNAseq analysis, we found a distinct transcriptome response in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction for M. avium and M. marinum infection. In addition, we found substantial differences in gene expression in metabolic pathways, phagosome formation, matrix remodeling, and apoptosis in response to these mycobacterial infections.
Project description:Zebrafish / Mycobacterium marinum model is useful in modeling human tuberculosis, as zebrafish recapitulate several aspects of the disease. We generated a mutant line for the inflammasome adaptor gene pycard to study the loss of inflammasome signaling in adult zebrafish M. marinum infection. We discovered a number of immunity related genes up- or downregulated in mutant pycard zebrafish in comparison to WT control siblings. The RNA-seq was conducted using a low dose infection (approximately 30 CFU) at 4 weeks post infection, from the kidney of adult male fish. Mock injected controls received PBS instead of bacteria.
Project description:Granulomas are the pathological hallmark of tuberculosis (TB). In individuals latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), the bacteria are thought to reside within the granulomas in a nonreplicating dormant state due to the lack of oxygen and nutrients. However, a portion of these individuals will develop active TB and little is known on the bacterial mechanisms/factors involved in this process. In this study, we found that WhiB4, an oxygen sensor and a transcription factor, plays a critical role in disease progression and reactivation of Mycobacterium marinum (M. marinum) infection in zebrafish. We show that the whiB4 mutant of M. marinum caused latent infection in adult zebrafish, which is characterized by the stable bacterial loads, constant number of non-necrotized granulomas in fewer organs, and reduced immune responses compared to zebrafish infected with the wild type bacteria or the complemented strain. The mutant bacteria in zebrafish were also less responsive to antibiotic treatments. Moreover, the whiB4 mutant was defective in resuscitation from hypoxia-induced dormancy and that the DosR regulon was dysregulated in the mutant. Taken together, our results suggest that WhiB4 is a major driver of reactivation from latent infection and that WhiB4 is an attractive target for the development of novel therapeutics, which may help to prevent the reactivation of latent infection thereby reducing the incidences of active TB.
Project description:Granulomas are the pathological hallmark of tuberculosis (TB). In individuals latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), the bacteria are thought to reside within the granulomas in a nonreplicating dormant state due to the lack of oxygen and nutrients. However, a portion of these individuals will develop active TB and little is known on the bacterial mechanisms/factors involved in this process. In this study, we found that WhiB4, an oxygen sensor and a transcription factor, plays a critical role in disease progression and reactivation of Mycobacterium marinum (M. marinum) infection in zebrafish. We show that the whiB4 mutant of M. marinum caused latent infection in adult zebrafish, which is characterized by the stable bacterial loads, constant number of non-necrotized granulomas in fewer organs, and reduced immune responses compared to zebrafish infected with the wild type bacteria or the complemented strain. The mutant bacteria in zebrafish were also less responsive to antibiotic treatments. Moreover, the whiB4 mutant was defective in resuscitation from hypoxia-induced dormancy and that the DosR regulon was dysregulated in the mutant. Taken together, our results suggest that WhiB4 is a major driver of reactivation from latent infection and that WhiB4 is an attractive target for the development of novel therapeutics, which may help to prevent the reactivation of latent infection thereby reducing the incidences of active TB.