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- Title
WNT6/ACC2-induced storage of triacylglycerols in macrophages is exploited by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- Authors
Brandenburg, Julius; Marwitz, Sebastian; Tazoll, Simone C.; Waldow, Franziska; Kalsdorf, Barbara; Vierbuchen, Tim; Scholzen, Thomas; Gross, Annette; Goldenbaum, Svenja; Hölscher, Alexandra; Hein, Martina; Linnemann, Lara; Reimann, Maja; Kispert, Andreas; Leitges, Michael; Rupp, Jan; Lange, Christoph; Niemann, Stefan; Behrends, Jochen; Goldmann, Torsten
- Abstract
In view of emerging drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), host-directed adjunct therapies are urgently needed to improve treatment outcomes with currently available anti-TB therapies. One approach is to interfere with the formation of lipid-laden "foamy" macrophages in the host, as they provide a nutrient-rich host cell environment for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Here, we provide evidence that Wnt family member 6 (WNT6), a ligand of the evolutionarily conserved Wingless/Integrase 1 (WNT) signaling pathway, promotes foam cell formation by regulating key lipid metabolic genes including acetyl-CoA carboxylase 2 (ACC2) during pulmonary TB. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches, we demonstrated that lack of functional WNT6 or ACC2 significantly reduced intracellular triacylglycerol (TAG) levels and Mtb survival in macrophages. Moreover, treatment of Mtb-infected mice with a combination of a pharmacological ACC2 inhibitor and the anti-TB drug isoniazid (INH) reduced lung TAG and cytokine levels, as well as lung weights, compared with treatment with INH alone. This combination also reduced Mtb bacterial numbers and the size of mononuclear cell infiltrates in livers of infected mice. In summary, our findings demonstrate that Mtb exploits WNT6/ACC2-induced storage of TAGs in macrophages to facilitate its intracellular survival, a finding that opens new perspectives for host-directed adjunctive treatment of pulmonary TB.
- Subjects
MYCOBACTERIUM tuberculosis; MACROPHAGES; TRIGLYCERIDES; CELL size; LIVER cells; ENZYME metabolism; ENZYME inhibitors; LUNG microbiology; TUBERCULOSIS microbiology; PROTEIN metabolism; DRUG therapy for tuberculosis; PROTEINS; LUNGS; ANIMAL experimentation; ISONIAZID; CELLULAR signal transduction; GLYCOPROTEINS; ANTITUBERCULAR agents; TUBERCULOSIS; MICE
- Publication
Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2021, Vol 131, Issue 16, p1
- ISSN
0021-9738
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1172/JCI141833