Proteomic analysis of infected primary human leucocytes revealed PSTK as potential treatment-monitoring marker for active and latent tuberculosis

PLoS One. 2020 Apr 16;15(4):e0231834. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231834. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Markers for monitoring clearance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection during anti-TB drug treatment could facilitate management of tuberculosis (TB) treatment, but are lacking. We aimed to screen for Mtb clearance markers from in-vitro-infected leucocytes and to evaluate these markers in followed-up active TB (ATB) patients and latent TB (LTBI) cases after anti-TB drug treatment. Extracellular proteins from primary leucocytes infected with each of the Mtb lineages (East-Asian, Indo-Oceanic, Euro-American and the laboratory strain H37Rv) were screened as possible clearance markers. Leucocytes infected with Staphylococcus aureus acted as controls. The proteomic analysis was performed using GeLC-MS/MS. Several quantitative and qualitative candidate clearance markers were found. These proteins were suppressed during the infection stage of all Mtb lineages and re-expressed after bacillary clearance. PSTK, FKBP8 and MGMT were common clearance markers among the four Mtb lineages in our model. Only PSTK was a potential clearance marker based on western blot validation analysis from culture supernatants. The PSTK marker was further validated with western blot analysis using serum samples (n = 6) from ATB patients and LTBI cases during anti-TB drug treatment, and from healthy controls (n = 3). Time-dependent increase of PSTK was found both in ATB and LTBI patients during the course of anti-TB drug treatment, but not in healthy controls. We have demonstrated that PSTK is a potential treatment-monitoring marker for active and latent TB.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • DNA Modification Methylases / blood
  • DNA Repair Enzymes / blood
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Latent Tuberculosis / blood*
  • Latent Tuberculosis / drug therapy
  • Leukocytes / metabolism*
  • Leukocytes / microbiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis*
  • Phosphorylase Kinase / metabolism*
  • Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor)
  • Proteome / drug effects
  • Proteome / metabolism*
  • Proteomics
  • Tacrolimus Binding Proteins / blood
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry
  • Time Factors
  • Tuberculosis / blood*
  • Tuberculosis / drug therapy
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / blood
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • FKBP8 protein, human
  • Proteome
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • DNA Modification Methylases
  • MGMT protein, human
  • PSTK protein, human
  • Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor)
  • Phosphorylase Kinase
  • Tacrolimus Binding Proteins
  • DNA Repair Enzymes

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Thailand Research Fund (Grant number MRG5980002), Invitation Research 2018, Faculty of Medicine (IN61210) and Research Fund for Supporting Lecturer to Admit High Potential Student to Study and Research on His Expert Program Year 2015 (581H223), Graduate Studies, Khon Kaen University to KF.