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Partly because of its resistance to many antibiotics, TB kills an estimated 1.7 million people worldwide each year. But new research from the University of Notre Dame suggests that structures released by infected cells could be used in combination with antibiotics to strengthen the body's immune system, helping to fight the disease.
The paper, published in EMBO reports Jeffrey Schorey, professor at George B. Craig Jr., and Yong Cheng, badistant professor of research at the Department of Biological Sciences, describe how structures, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), contain Mycobacterium tuberculosis RNA and transfer it to other cells. This starts an integrated weapon system against the disease in the form of an immune response.
Although extracellular vesicles containing RNA from viruses were discovered years ago, Schorey and his collaborators have recently discovered RNA from bacteria – Mycobacterium tuberculosis – in electric vehicles. This discovery led to the experiments described in EMBO reports paper to determine how the RNA of the bacterium affected the "target" cell, including cells infected with M. tuberculosis.
A key finding of research is based on macrophages, cells of the immune system. When they are treated with EVs released from cells infected with M. tuberculosis, these cells provide better control of infection than macrophages not previously exposed to EV, as well as determined by Schorey. and Cheng. "It had never been previously shown that bacterial RNA in electric vehicles could activate this detection pathway, a pathway that would have been primarily involved in viral detection," said Schorey. The authors then show that the macrophages treated with EV produce compounds such as reactive oxygen species that can promote the destruction of cells. M. tuberculosis once it's infecting the macrophage.
The discovery is important because it can lead to future treatments for the treatment of tuberculosis. Preliminary data in the paper suggest that antibiotics might work better if they are combined with immunotherapy based on the use of these electric vehicles. Data from the mouse model showed that more cells infected with bacteria were killed with the combination of therapies than antibiotics or EV alone, Schorey noted.
The next steps in future research are to try this approach with other laboratory models, in order to also show the interest of combining EVs, as immunotherapy treatments, with antibiotics to treat drug-resistant TB.
Every year, more than 10 million people develop active TB worldwide. In addition, more than two billion people are infected with the bacteria. This results in a reservoir of infected people susceptible to develop a disease if their immune system is compromised.
Schorey is affiliated with Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics, the Eck Institute for Global Health, and the Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases of Notre Dame. The research was funded by the National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases.
Source of the story:
Material provided by University of Notre Dame. Original written by Deanna Csomo McCool. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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