Trehalose dimycolate interferes with FcyR-mediated phagosome maturation through Mincle, SHP-1 and FcyRIIB signalling

The causative agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), contains an abundant cell wall glycolipid and a crucial virulence factor, trehalose-6,6'-dimycolate (TDM). TDM causes delay of phagosome maturation and thus promotes survival of mycobacteria inside host macrophages by a not fully understood mechanism. TDM signals through the Monocyte-INducible C-type LEctin (Mincle), a recently identified pattern recognition receptor. Here we show that recruitment of Mincle by TDM coupled to immunoglobulin (Ig) G-opsonised beads during Fcy receptor (FcyR)-mediated phagocytosis interferes with phagosome maturation. In addition, modulation of phagosome maturation by TDM requires SH2-domain-containing inositol polyphosphate 5' phosphatase (SHP-1) and the FcyRIIB, which strongly suggests inhibitory downstream signalling of Mincle during phagosome formation. Overall, our study reveals important mechanisms contributing to the virulence of TDM.