Mycobacterium tuberculosis activates the DNA-dependent cytosolic surveillance pathway within macrophages.

Cytosolic bacterial pathogens activate the cytosolic surveillance pathway (CSP) and induce innate immune responses, but how the host detects vacuolar pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis is poorly understood. We show that M. tuberculosis also initiates the CSP upon macrophage infection via limited perforation of the phagosome membrane mediated by the ESX-1 secretion system. Although the bacterium remains within the phagosome, this permeabilization results in phagosomal and cytoplasmic mixing and allows extracellular mycobacterial DNA to access host cytosolic receptors, thus blurring the distinction between "vacuolar" and "cytosolic" pathogens. Activation of cytosolic receptors induces signaling through the Sting/Tbk1/Irf3 axis, resulting in IFN-β production. Surprisingly, Irf3(-/-) mice, which cannot respond to cytosolic DNA, are resistant to long-term M. tuberculosis infection, suggesting that the CSP promotes M. tuberculosis infection. Thus, cytosolic sensing of mycobacterial DNA plays a key role in M. tuberculosis pathogenesis and likely contributes to the high type I IFN signature in tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis activates the DNA-dependent cytosolic surveillance pathway within macrophages.

Cytosolic bacterial pathogens activate the cytosolic surveillance pathway (CSP) and induce innate immune responses, but how the host detects vacuolar pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis is poorly understood. We show that M. tuberculosis also initiates the CSP upon macrophage infection via limited perforation of the phagosome membrane mediated by the ESX-1 secretion system. Although the bacterium remains within the phagosome, this permeabilization results in phagosomal and cytoplasmic mixing and allows extracellular mycobacterial DNA to access host cytosolic receptors, thus blurring the distinction between "vacuolar" and "cytosolic" pathogens. Activation of cytosolic receptors induces signaling through the Sting/Tbk1/Irf3 axis, resulting in IFN-β production. Surprisingly, Irf3(-/-) mice, which cannot respond to cytosolic DNA, are resistant to long-term M. tuberculosis infection, suggesting that the CSP promotes M. tuberculosis infection. Thus, cytosolic sensing of mycobacterial DNA plays a key role in M. tuberculosis pathogenesis and likely contributes to the high type I IFN signature in tuberculosis

Ribosome Rescue Inhibitors Kill Actively Growing and Nonreplicating Persister <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> Cells

The emergence of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> (MTB) strains that are resistant to most or all available antibiotics has created a severe problem for treating tuberculosis and has spurred a quest for new antibiotic targets. Here, we demonstrate that <i>trans</i>-translation is essential for growth of MTB and is a viable target for development of antituberculosis drugs. We also show that an inhibitor of <i>trans</i>-translation, KKL-35, is bactericidal against MTB under both aerobic and anoxic conditions. Biochemical experiments show that this compound targets helix 89 of the 23S rRNA. <i>In silico</i> molecular docking predicts a binding pocket for KKL-35 adjacent to the peptidyl-transfer center in a region not targeted by conventional antibiotics. Computational solvent mapping suggests that this pocket is a druggable hot spot for small molecule binding. Collectively, our findings reveal a new target for antituberculosis drug development and provide critical insight on the mechanism of antibacterial action for KKL-35 and related 1,3,4-oxadiazole benzamides

Smith-specific regulatory T cells halt the progression of lupus nephritis

Abstract Antigen-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs) suppress pathogenic autoreactivity and are potential therapeutic candidates for autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Lupus nephritis is associated with autoreactivity to the Smith (Sm) autoantigen and the human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR15 haplotype; hence, we investigated the potential of Sm-specific Tregs (Sm-Tregs) to suppress disease. Here we identify a HLA-DR15 restricted immunodominant Sm T cell epitope using biophysical affinity binding assays, then identify high-affinity Sm-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) using high-throughput single-cell sequencing. Using lentiviral vectors, we transduce our lead Sm-specific TCR into Tregs derived from patients with SLE who are anti-Sm and HLA-DR15 positive. Compared with polyclonal mock-transduced Tregs, Sm-Tregs potently suppress Sm-specific pro-inflammatory responses in vitro and suppress disease progression in a humanized mouse model of lupus nephritis. These results show that Sm-Tregs are a promising therapy for SLE

The ubiquitin ligase parkin mediates resistance to intracellular pathogens

Ubiquitin-mediated targeting of intracellular bacteria to the autophagy pathway is a key innate defence mechanism against invading microbes, including the important human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, the ubiquitin ligases responsible for