Gene expression patterns associated with multidrug therapy in multibacillary leprosy

Bibliographic Details
Title: Gene expression patterns associated with multidrug therapy in multibacillary leprosy
Authors: Helen Ferreira, Thyago Leal-Calvo, Mayara Abud Mendes, Charlotte Avanzi, Philippe Busso, Andrej Benjak, Anna Maria Sales, Cássio Porto Ferreira, Márcia de Berrêdo-Pinho, Stewart Thomas Cole, Euzenir Nunes Sarno, Milton Ozório Moraes, Roberta Olmo Pinheiro
Source: Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, Vol 12 (2022)
Publisher Information: Frontiers Media S.A., 2022.
Publication Year: 2022
Collection: LCC:Microbiology
Subject Terms: multibacillary leprosy, multidrug therapy, lipid metabolism, bacillary load, gene signature, Microbiology, QR1-502
More Details: Multidrug therapy (MDT) has been successfully used in the treatment of leprosy. However, although patients are cured after the completion of MDT, leprosy reactions, permanent disability, and occasional relapse/reinfection are frequently observed in patients. The immune system of multibacillary patients (MB) is not able to mount an effective cellular immune response against M. leprae. Consequently, clearance of bacilli from the body is a slow process and after 12 doses of MDT not all MB patients reduce bacillary index (BI). In this context, we recruited MB patients at the uptake and after 12-month of MDT. Patients were stratified according to the level of reduction of the BI after 12 doses MDT. A reduction of at least one log in BI was necessary to be considered a responder patient. We evaluated the pattern of host gene expression in skin samples with RNA sequencing before and after MDT and between samples from patients with or without one log reduction in BI. Our results demonstrated that after 12 doses of MDT there was a reduction in genes associated with lipid metabolism, inflammatory response, and cellular immune response among responders (APOBEC3A, LGALS17A, CXCL13, CXCL9, CALHM6, and IFNG). Also, by comparing MB patients with lower BI reduction versus responder patients, we identified high expression of CDH19, TMPRSS4, PAX3, FA2H, HLA-V, FABP7, and SERPINA11 before MDT. From the most differentially expressed genes, we observed that MDT modulates pathways related to immune response and lipid metabolism in skin cells from MB patients after MDT, with higher expression of genes like CYP11A1, that are associated with cholesterol metabolism in the group with the worst response to treatment. Altogether, the data presented contribute to elucidate gene signatures and identify differentially expressed genes associated with MDT outcomes in MB patients.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2235-2988
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.917282/full; https://doaj.org/toc/2235-2988
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.917282
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/322b90006fe1492baddc5a9e4e25637a
Accession Number: edsdoj.322b90006fe1492baddc5a9e4e25637a
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:22352988
DOI:10.3389/fcimb.2022.917282
Published in:Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
Language:English