CAGE sequencing reveals CFTR-dependent dysregulation of type I IFN signaling in activated cystic fibrosis macrophages

Sci Adv. 2023 May 26;9(21):eadg5128. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adg5128. Epub 2023 May 26.

Abstract

An intense, nonresolving airway inflammatory response leads to destructive lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). Dysregulation of macrophage immune function may be a key facet governing the progression of CF lung disease, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We used 5' end centered transcriptome sequencing to profile P. aeruginosa LPS-activated human CF macrophages, showing that CF and non-CF macrophages deploy substantially distinct transcriptional programs at baseline and following activation. This includes a significantly blunted type I IFN signaling response in activated patient cells relative to healthy controls that was reversible upon in vitro treatment with CFTR modulators in patient cells and by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to correct the F508del mutation in patient-derived iPSC macrophages. These findings illustrate a previously unidentified immune defect in human CF macrophages that is CFTR dependent and reversible with CFTR modulators, thus providing new avenues in the search for effective anti-inflammatory interventions in CF.

MeSH terms

  • Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / genetics
  • Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / metabolism
  • Cystic Fibrosis* / genetics
  • Humans
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Mutation
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator
  • CFTR protein, human