University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Lipids Activate Neurons and Trigger Cough
Abstract
dc:descriptionPulmonary tuberculosis, a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), manifests with a persistent cough as both a primary symptom and a transmission mechanism. While nociceptive neurons innervating the lungs trigger the cough reflex and some bacteria produce neuron-targeting molecules, how pulmonary Mtb infection causes cough remains undefined, and whether Mtb produces a neuron-activating molecule that induces cough is unknown. Here, I identified the Mtb glycolipid sulfolipid-1 (SL-1) as a nociceptive-activating and cough-inducing molecule. I also demonstrated that phenolic glycolipid (PGL), which is uniquely produced by the hypervirulent Mtb HN878, activates nociceptive neurons. Finally, I determined that a GPCR mediates SL-1 activity, independent of TRPV1. This work demonstrates a novel molecular mechanism for cough induction by a virulent human pathogen via its production of complex lipids to induce a cough response.
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Ruhl, Cody Ryan
- Contributors dc:contributor
-
- Kohler, Jennifer J.
- Lai, Helen
- Tu, Benjamin
- Shiloh, Michael
Subjects
dc:subject × 4Rights
- Language dc:language
- en
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Identifier
- 1482732312
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:utswmed-ir.tdl.org:2152.5/10438