Project description:Tuberculosis, caused by M.tuberculosis (Mtb), remains an enduring global health challenge, especially given the limited efficacy of current therapeutic interventions. Much of existing research has focused on immune failure as a driver of tuberculosis. However, the crucial role of host macrophage biology in controlling the disease remains underexplored. While we have gained deeper insights into how alveolar macrophages (AMs) interact with Mtb, the precise AM subsets that mediate protection and potentially prevent tuberculosis progression have yet to be identified. In this study, by integrating the use of weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) modules with our multi-modal scRNA-seq protocol, we were able to evaluate the functional roles of diverse macrophage subpopulations across different infection timepoints, allowing us to delineate the dynamic landscape of controller and permissive AM populations throughout the infection timeline. Our analyses during specific post-Mtb challenge intervals revealed macrophage populations transitioning between distinct anti- and pro-inflammatory states. Notably, CD38- AMs showed a muted response to early Mtb infection. As infection progressed, we observed a phenotypic shift in AMs, with CD38+ monocyte-derived AMs (moAMs) and a subset of tissue-resident AMs (TR-AMs) emerging as significant controllers of bacterial growth. Interestingly, scATAC-seq analysis of naïve lungs demonstrated that CD38+ TR-AMs possessed a distinct chromatin signature prior to infection, indicative of epigenetic priming, and predisposed them to a pro-inflammatory response. BCG intranasal immunization increased the numbers of CD38+ macrophages, substantially enhancing their capability to restrict Mtb growth. Collectively, our findings emphasize the pivotal, dynamic roles of different macrophage subsets in TB infection and reveal rational pathways for the development of improved vaccines and immunotherapeutic strategies, with implications for the broader field of infectious diseases.

Project description:Tuberculosis kills nearly 2 million people through out the world, every year. The outcome of M. tuberculosis infection is determined by the host and bacterial factors. A strong host immune response controls the growth of the bacilli effectively. However, in a host with suboptimal immune response, the bacilli grows and mounts disease. Activation of immune response following M. tuberculosis infection affects the expression of many host genes that are involved in the production of immune system molecules such as cytokines, chemokines, surface receptors and transcriptional regulators that manifest in the change of subsequent cellular events, including chemotaxis and proliferation of effector cells. The infecting bacilli counteracts the bactericidal activities of the host immune cells, primarily by modifying their gene expression. However, the specific nature of the host-pathogen interactions and the outcome of Mtb infection are not fully understood. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), produced by the immune cells, is an important cytokine in protecting the host against Mtb infection. However, excessive TNF-a production leads to severe inflammation and host cell destruction. In fact, pharmacologic inhibition of TNF-a production has been considered as a therapeutic modality in inflammatory diseases. Interestingly, inhibitors of host phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) have been shown to reduce TNF-a production and dampen inflammation without complete immune suppression of the host. In this study, we have explored the use of one of the PDE4 inhibitors, CC-3052, as an adjunct immune modulatory drug, in combination with isoniazid (INH) treatment in rabbit pulmonary tuberculosis. We hypothesize that reducing TNF-a levels during Mtb infection would reduce the environmental pressure on the bacteria, rendering them more amenable to killing by INH. Mtb infected rabbits were treated with CC-3052 or INH or both and the lung tissue were harvested after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. Lung bacterial load, histologic changes and host and bacterial gene expression were determined for each timepoint and compared between various treatment groups. The results of our study provides data to support the idea that combining anti-TB drugs with an adjunctive immune modulator may enhance the efficacy of current TB therapy regimens and shorten the duration of treatment if applied appropriately to humans. The microarray experiments involves 2 comparison groups. 1) Changes in rabbit gene expression between Mtb infected and uninfected animals; 2). Changes in rabbit gene expression between CC-3052 treated and untreated animals during Mtb infection at 4,8 and 12 weeks post infection. New Zealand White rabbits were infected with Mtb HN878 at 3.2log10 (on day 0). At 4 weeks post infection, one group of infected rabbits were treated with a phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor, CC-3052, and the treatment was continued up to 12 weeks post infection. The compound was used at 25mg/kg body weight, dissolved in distilled water and administered through gavage five days a weeks. Lung tissue from Uninfected, Mtb-infected and Untreated or CC-3052 treated rabbits were isolated at Day0, 4,8 and 12 weeks post infection and used for total RNA extraction. Only the 8 and 12 week timepoints correspond to the associated publication.

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Tax1bp1 promotes inflammatory signaling and necrosis during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of alveolar macrophages

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