Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Novel Entry Mechanisms and a Central Role of SRC in Host Defense during High Multiplicity Mycobacterial Infection

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 18;8(6):e65128. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065128. Print 2013.

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infects an estimated one-third of the global population and is one of the main causes of mortality from an infectious agent. The characteristics of macrophages challenged by MTB with a high multiplicity of infection (MOI), which mimics both clinical disseminated infection and granuloma formation, are distinct from macrophages challenged with a low MOI. To better understand the cross talk between macrophage host cells and mycobacteria, we compared the transcription patterns of mouse macrophages infected with bacille Calmette-Guérin, H37Ra and M. smegmatis. Attention was focused on the changes in the abundance of transcripts related to immune system function. From the results of a transcriptome profiling study with a high mycobacterial MOI, we defined a pathogen-specific host gene expression pattern. The present study suggests that two integrins, ITGA5 and ITGAV, are novel cell surface receptors mediating mycobacterium entry into macrophages challenged with high MOI. Our results indicate that SRC likely plays a central role in regulating multiple unique signaling pathways activated by MTB infection. The integrated results increase our understanding of the molecular networks behind the host innate immune response and identify important targets that might be useful for the development of tuberculosis therapy.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Colony Count, Microbial
  • Integrin alpha5 / metabolism
  • Macrophages / immunology
  • Macrophages / microbiology
  • Mice
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / genetics*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / isolation & purification
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / pathogenicity
  • RNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Transcriptome*
  • Tuberculosis / immunology*
  • Tuberculosis / microbiology
  • src-Family Kinases / physiology*

Substances

  • Integrin alpha5
  • RNA, Bacterial
  • src-Family Kinases

Grants and funding

This work was funded by a postgraduate research account (No. MSC1010) from Griffith University. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.