Search

During tuberculosis (TB), migration of dendritic cells (DCs) from the site of infection to the draining lymph nodes is known to be impaired, hindering the rapid development of protective T-cell-mediated immunity. However, the mechanisms involved in the delayed migration of DCs during TB are still poorly defined. Here, we found that infection of DCs with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) triggers HIF1A-mediated aerobic glycolysis in a TLR2-dependent manner, and that this metabolic profile is essential for DC migration. In particular, the lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor oxamate and the HIF1A inhibitor PX-478 abrogated Mtb-induced DC migration in vitro to the lymphoid tissue-specific chemokine CCL21, and in vivo to lymph nodes in mice. Strikingly, we found that although monocytes from TB patients are inherently biased toward glycolysis metabolism, they differentiate into poorly glycolytic and poorly migratory DCs compared with healthy subjects. Taken together, these data suggest that because of their preexisting glycolytic state, circulating monocytes from TB patients are refractory to differentiation into migratory DCs, which may explain the delayed migration of these cells during the disease and opens avenues for host-directed therapies for TB.

While tuberculosis (TB) is a risk factor in HIV-1-infected individuals, the mechanisms by which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) worsens HIV-1 pathogenesis remain scarce. We showed that HIV-1 infection is exacerbated in macrophages exposed to TB-associated microenvironments due to tunneling nanotube (TNT) formation. To identify molecular factors associated with TNT function, we performed a transcriptomic analysis in these macrophages, and revealed the up-regulation of Siglec-1 receptor. Siglec-1 expression depends on Mtb-induced production of type I interferon (IFN-I). In co-infected non-human primates, Siglec-1 is highly expressed by alveolar macrophages, whose abundance correlates with pathology and activation of IFN-I/STAT1 pathway. Siglec-1 localizes mainly on microtubule-containing TNT that are long and carry HIV-1 cargo. Siglec-1 depletion decreases TNT length, diminishes HIV-1 capture and cell-to-cell transfer, and abrogates the exacerbation of HIV-1 infection induced by Mtb. Altogether, we uncover a deleterious role for Siglec-1 in TB-HIV-1 co-infection and open new avenues to understand TNT biology.

Cytotoxic CD4 (CD4CTX) T cells are emerging as an important component of antiviral and antitumor immunity, but the molecular basis of their development remains poorly understood. In the context of human cytomegalovirus infection, a significant proportion of CD4 T cells displays cytotoxic functions. We observed that the transcriptional program of these cells was enriched in CD8 T cell lineage genes despite the absence of ThPOK downregulation. We further show that establishment of CD4CTX-specific transcriptional and epigenetic programs occurred in a stepwise fashion along the Th1-differentiation pathway. In vitro, prolonged activation of naive CD4 T cells in presence of Th1 polarizing cytokines led to the acquisition of perforin-dependent cytotoxic activity. This process was dependent on the Th1 transcription factor Runx3 and was limited by the sustained expression of ThPOK. This work elucidates the molecular program of human CD4CTX T cells and identifies potential targets for immunotherapy against viral infections and cancer.