Transcriptional landscape of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in macrophages

Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 30;8(1):6758. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-24509-6.

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection reveals complex and dynamic host-pathogen interactions, leading to host protection or pathogenesis. Using a unique transcriptome technology (CAGE), we investigated the promoter-based transcriptional landscape of IFNγ (M1) or IL-4/IL-13 (M2) stimulated macrophages during Mtb infection in a time-kinetic manner. Mtb infection widely and drastically altered macrophage-specific gene expression, which is far larger than that of M1 or M2 activations. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis for Mtb-induced differentially expressed genes revealed various terms, related to host-protection and inflammation, enriched in up-regulated genes. On the other hand, terms related to dis-regulation of cellular functions were enriched in down-regulated genes. Differential expression analysis revealed known as well as novel transcription factor genes in Mtb infection, many of them significantly down-regulated. IFNγ or IL-4/IL-13 pre-stimulation induce additional differentially expressed genes in Mtb-infected macrophages. Cluster analysis uncovered significant numbers, prolonging their expressional changes. Furthermore, Mtb infection augmented cytokine-mediated M1 and M2 pre-activations. In addition, we identified unique transcriptional features of Mtb-mediated differentially expressed lncRNAs. In summary we provide a comprehensive in depth gene expression/regulation profile in Mtb-infected macrophages, an important step forward for a better understanding of host-pathogen interaction dynamics in Mtb infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / genetics
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Interferon-gamma / genetics
  • Interleukin-13 / genetics
  • Interleukin-4 / genetics
  • Macrophages / microbiology
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / genetics*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / pathogenicity
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / genetics
  • Transcription, Genetic*
  • Transcriptome / genetics
  • Tuberculosis / genetics*
  • Tuberculosis / microbiology

Substances

  • IFNG protein, human
  • Interleukin-13
  • RNA, Long Noncoding
  • Interleukin-4
  • Interferon-gamma