Deciphering the genetic control of gene expression following Mycobacterium leprae antigen stimulation.

ABSTRACT: Leprosy is a human infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. A strong host genetic contribution to leprosy susceptibility is well established. However, the modulation of the transcriptional response to infection and the mechanism(s) of disease control are poorly understood. To address this gap in knowledge of leprosy pathogenicity, we conducted a genome-wide search for expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) that are associated with transcript variation before and after stimulation with M. leprae sonicate in whole blood cells. We show that M. leprae antigen stimulation mainly triggered the upregulation of immune related genes and that a substantial proportion of the differential gene expression is genetically controlled. Indeed, using stringent criteria, we identified 318 genes

SUBMITTER: Manry J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5565194 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature