Human alveolar macrophage response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis: immune characteristics underlying large inter-individual variability

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), the causative bacterium of tuberculosis (TB), establishes residence and grows in human alveolar macrophages (AMs). Inter-individual variation in M.tb-human AM interactions can indicate TB risk and the efficacy of therapies and vaccines; however, we currently lack an understanding of the gene and protein expression programs that dictate this variation in the lungs. RESULTS: Herein, we systematically analyze interactions of a virulent M.tb strain H(37)R(v) with freshly isolated human AMs from 28 healthy adult donors, measuring host RNA expression and secreted candidate proteins associated with TB pathogenesis over 72h. A large set of genes possessing highly variable inter-individual expression levels are differentially expressed in response to M.tb infection. Eigengene modules link M.tb growth rate with host transcriptional and protein profiles at 24 and 72h. Systems analysis of differential RNA and protein expression identifies a robust network with IL1B, STAT1, and IDO1 as hub genes associated with M.tb growth. RNA time profiles document stimulation towards an M1-type macrophage gene expression followed by emergence of an M2-type profile. Finally, we replicate these results in a cohort from a TB-endemic region, finding a substantial portion of significant differentially expressed genes overlapping between studies. CONCLUSIONS: We observe large inter-individual differences in bacterial uptake and growth, with tenfold variation in M.tb load by 72h.The fine-scale resolution of this work enables the identification of genes and gene networks associated with early M.tb growth dynamics in defined donor clusters, an important step in developing potential biological indicators of individual susceptibility to M.tb infection and response to therapies.