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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
immunology and microbiology
Reversible lipid accumulation and associated division arrest of mycobacterium avium in lipoprotein-induced foamy macrophages may resemble key events during latency and reactivation of tuberculosis
Infection and Immunity, Volume 82, No. 2, Year 2014
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Description
During the dormant phase of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis persists in lung granulomas by residing in foamy macrophages (FM) that contain abundant lipid bodies (LB) in their cytoplasm, allowing bacilli to accumulate lipids as intracytoplasmic lipid inclusions (ILI). An experimental model of FM is presented where bone marrow-derived mouse macrophages are infected with M. avium and exposed to very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) as a lipid source. Quantitative analysis of detailed electron microscope observations showed the following results. (i) Macrophages became foamy, and mycobacteria formed ILI, for which host triacylglycerides, rather than cholesterol, was essential. (ii) Lipid transfer occurred via mycobacterium-induced fusion between LB and phagosomes. (iii) Mycobacteria showed a thinned cell wall and became elongated but did not divide. (iv) Upon removal of VLDL, LB and ILI declined within hours, and simultaneous resumption of mycobacterial division restored the number of mycobacteria to the same level as that found in untreated control macrophages. This showed that the presence of ILI resulted in a reversible block of division without causing a change in the mycobacterial replication rate. Fluctuation between ILI either partially or fully extending throughout the mycobacterial cytoplasm was suggestive of bacterial cell cycle events. We propose that VLDL-driven FM constitute a well-defined cellular system in which to study changed metabolic states of intracellular mycobacteria that may relate to persistence and reactivation of tuberculosis. © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Caire-Brändli, Irène B.
France, Marseille
Centre D’immunologie de Marseille-luminy
Papadopoulos, Alexia
France, Marseille
Centre D’immunologie de Marseille-luminy
Malaga, Wladimir
France, Toulouse
Université Toulouse Iii - Paul Sabatier
Marais, David A.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Canaan, Stéphane
France, Marseille
Enzymologie Interfaciale et Physiologie de la Lipolyse
Thilo, Lutz
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
de Chastellier, Chantal
France, Marseille
Centre D’immunologie de Marseille-luminy
Statistics
Citations: 91
Authors: 7
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1128/IAI.01196-13
ISSN:
00199567
e-ISSN:
10985522
Research Areas
Noncommunicable Diseases
Study Approach
Quantitative