GSE176423
Rifampicin drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection suppresses in vivo immune responses through a Type I Interferon response.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), latently infects one quarter of the world's population. The rise of multidrug resistant (MDR) Mtb infections worldwide presents a significant obstacle to curb TB globally. While human studies report dysregulated immune responses in MDR TB patients, there is a lack of clear understanding of the host-pathogen interactions following MDR Mtb infection. We recently showed that Mtb carrying a rifampicin drug resistance (RDR)-conferring single nucleotide polymorphism in the RNA polymerase-B gene (Mtb rpoB-H445Y) can modulate host macrophage metabolic reprogramming by production of Type I IFNs. Here, using a mouse model, we have characterized the host immune response in vivo following RDR Mtb infection. We show that despite establishment of Mtb infection in the lung and dissemination to the peripheral organs, lung myeloid and lymphoid immune responses to RDR Mtb is suppressed through a Type I IFN-dependent mechanism. These results coincide with a muted responses in the bone marrow hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and progenitors following RDR Mtb infection. These results suggest that host directed therapeutics and vaccines for drug resistant TB may need to be target specific host immune pathways for protection. Overall design: Single cell RNA expression profiles of LKS+, cells of Control mice, and mice subject to an aerosol challenge with M.tuberculosis strains HN878 and rpoB-H445Y.