Differential Host Pro-Inflammatory Response to Mycobacterial Cell Wall Lipids Regulated by the Mce1 Operon

The cell wall of wild-type (WT)Mycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb), an etiologic agent of tuberculosis (TB) and a Mtb strain disrupted in a 13-gene operonmce1(Delta mce1) varies by more than 400 lipid species. Here, we examined Mtb lipid-induced response in murine macrophage, as well as in human T-cell subpopulations in order to gain an insight into how changes in cell wall lipid composition may modulate host immune response. Relative to WT Mtb cell wall lipids, the non-polar lipid extracts from Delta mce1 enhanced the mRNA expression of lipid-sense nuclear receptors TR4 and PPAR-gamma and dampened the macrophage expression of genes encoding TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1 beta. Relative to untreated control, WT lipid-pre-stimulated macrophages from healthy individuals induced a higher level of CD4(-)CD8(-)double negative T-cells (DN T-cells) producing TNF-alpha. Conversely, compared to WT, stimulation with Delta mce1 lipids induced higher mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) in IL-10-producing DN T cells. Mononuclear cells from TB patients stimulated with WT Mtb lipids induced an increased production of TNF-alpha by CD8(+)lymphocytes. Taken together, these observations suggest that changes inmce1operon expression during a course of infection may serve as a strategy by Mtb to evade the host pro-inflammatory responses.