Project description:The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to tolerate antibiotics is a major impediment in the treatment of tuberculosis. This antibiotic tolerance is influenced by the host cells in which the bacteria reside, as Mtb senses host cues, and the bacterial response can provide an enhanced ability to withstand anti-TB drugs. Previouslyt, we have shown that Mtb exhibits redox heterogeneity in terms of its mycothiol redox potential (EMSH) giving rise to three broad subpopulations EMSH-reduced, EMSH-basal, and EMSH-oxidized Mtb specifically inside the macrophages. Among these, the EMSH-reduced Mtb exhibit enahnced tolerance to several anti-TB drugs while the EMSH-basal and EMSH-oxidized subpopulations are more susceptible. In this study, we explored the transcriptomic level differences between macrophages that harbor the antibiotic tolerant Mtb and those harboring antibiotic susceptible Mtb to get a mechanistic understanding of host factors that influence drug tolerance in intracellular Mtb.
Project description:<p><em>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</em> (Mtb), the cause of tuberculosis, kills over one million people worldwide each year. Mtb is classified into ten distinct lineages, each harboring unique genetic changes that influence its survival, virulence, and transmissibility. Although metabolism plays a critical role in Mtb infection and persistence, the metabolomic profiles of different Mtb lineages remain poorly characterized. Here, by using metabolomic and bioinformatic approaches, we have determined the metabolome of representative strains belonging to three main lineages, namely lineage 1, lineage 2 and lineage 4. We show that the ancient lineage 1 has considerable differences in its metabolome compared to lineages 2 and 4. Those differences are mainly related to amino acids, peptidoglycan synthesis intermediates and ergothioneine, a sulphur-containing histidine derivative with potent antioxidant and redox properties. Taken together, these data represent the first comprehensive analysis of the metabolome of three main Mtb lineages.</p>
Project description:The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to tolerate antibiotics is a major impediment in the treatment of tuberculosis. This antibiotic tolerance is influenced by the host cells in which the bacteria reside, as Mtb senses host cues, and the bacterial response can provide an enhanced ability to withstand anti-TB drugs. Previouslyt, we have shown that Mtb exhibits redox heterogeneity in terms of its mycothiol redox potential (EMSH) giving rise to three broad subpopulations EMSH-reduced, EMSH-basal, and EMSH-oxidized Mtb specifically inside the macrophages. Among these, the EMSH-reduced Mtb exhibit enahnced tolerance to several anti-TB drugs while the EMSH-basal and EMSH-oxidized subpopulations are more susceptible. In this study, we have discovered a novel host-directed therapy molecule- meclizine, which enhances the drug susceptible population and diminishes the tolerant population.
Project description:THP-1 Macrophages were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from Xinjiang, China, and H37Rv for 24 hours, respectively, and their transcriptomes were sequenced to investigate the specific biological processes that occur after infection of macrophages with Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates from Xinjiang, China.
Project description:To elucidate the early regulators of inflammation during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, we performed a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen in macrophages to identify genes that influence the induction of TNF and iNOS upon infection. A genome-wide knockout library in murine macrophages was infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 24 hours post infection cells were FACS sorted based on TNF and iNOS expression. Samples were collected from the unsorted library, as well as two sorted populations: TNF positive and iNOS negative, and TNF positive and iNOS positive.