Lung epithelial injury impairs early host immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a significant global health burden, characterized by complex host-pathogen interactions that drive heterogeneous clinical outcomes. While pulmonary epithelial cells are increasingly recognized as active participants in innate immunity during Mtb infection, how host defense are altered when the epithelial barrier is compromised remains unclear.

Methods

In this study, we developed a murine model combining naphthalene-induced pulmonary epithelial injury with Mtb infection and mapped the pulmonary cells landscape through single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), followed by in vitro stimulation assays to validate macrophage functional changes.

Results

Notably, we found a pronounced impairment i

SUBMITTER: Miao X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12494656 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature