NOD2 controls the nature of the inflammatory response and subsequent fate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG in human macrophages

• Published in: Cellular microbiology Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 402 - 418
• Main Authors: Brooks, Michelle N, Rajaram, Murugesan V.S, Azad, Abul K, Amer, Amal O, Valdivia-Arenas, Martin A, Park, Jong-Hwan, Núñez, Gabriel, Schlesinger, Larry S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-03-2011; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Animals; Blotting, Western; Cell Differentiation; Cells, Cultured; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Immunoprecipitation; Inflammation - immunology; Interleukin-1beta - metabolism; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - genetics; Macrophages - immunology; Macrophages - metabolism; Macrophages - microbiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Microscopy, Confocal; Mycobacterium bovis; Mycobacterium bovis - immunology; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - immunology; Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein - genetics; Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein - metabolism; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - genetics; Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinase 2 - genetics; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Small Interfering - genetics; Signal Transduction; Syk Kinase; Toll-Like Receptor 2 - genetics; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism
• ISSN: 1462-5814; 1462-5822
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2010.01544.x

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), which causes tuberculosis, is a host-adapted intracellular pathogen of macrophages. Intracellular pattern recognition receptors in macrophages such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD) proteins regulate pro-inflammatory cytokine production. NOD2-mediated signalling pathways in response to M.tb have been studied primarily in mouse models and cell lines but not in primary human macrophages. Thus we sought to determine the role of NOD2 in regulating cytokine production and growth of virulent M.tb and attenuated Mycobacterium bovis BCG (BCG) in human macrophages. We examined NOD2 expression during monocyte differentiation and observed a marked increase in NOD2 transcript and protein following 2-3 days in culture. Pre-treatment of human monocyte-derived and alveolar macrophages with the NOD2 ligand muramyl dipeptide enhanced production of TNF-α and IL-1β in response to M.tb and BCG in a RIP2-dependent fashion. The NOD2-mediated cytokine response was significantly reduced following knock-down of NOD2 expression by using small interfering RNA (siRNA) in human macrophages. Finally, NOD2 controlled the growth of both M.tb and BCG in human macrophages, whereas controlling only BCG growth in murine macrophages. Together, our results provide evidence that NOD2 is an important intracellular receptor in regulating the host response to M.tb and BCG infection in human macrophages.