@article{31895,
  keywords = {leprosy, Dual RNAseq, Bacterial determinants, Host immune response},
  author = {Montoya DJ and Andrade P and Silva B and Teles R and Bryson B and Sadanand S and Noel T and Lu J and Sarno E and Arnvig K and Young D and Lahiri R and Williams DL and Fortune S and Bloom B and Pellegrini M and Modlin RL},
  title = {Dual RNAseq of human leprosy lesions identifies bacterial determinants linked to host immune response.},
  abstract = {<p>To understand how the interaction between an intracellular bacterium and the host immune system contributes to outcome at the site of infection, we studied leprosy, a disease that forms a clinical spectrum, in which progressive infection by the intracellular bacterium Mycobacterium leprae is characterized by the production of type I IFNs and antibody production. We performed dual RNAseq on patient lesions, identifying a continuum of distinct bacterial states that are linked to the host immune response. The bacterial burden, represented by the fraction of bacterial transcripts, correlates with a host type I IFN gene signature, known to inhibit antimicrobial responses. Second, the bacterial transcriptional activity, defined by the bacterial mRNA/rRNA ratio, links bacterial heat shock proteins with the BAFF-BCMA host antibody response pathway. Our findings provide a platform for interrogation of host and pathogen transcriptomes at the site of infection, allowing insight into mechanisms of inflammation in human disease.</p>
},
  year = {2018},
  journal = {bioRxiv.org : the preprint server for biology},
  pages = {35},
  url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2018/06/22/354407.full.pdf},
  language = {eng},
}