SUMMARY
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) regulates the
macrophage metabolic state to thrive in the host. Yet, the responsible
mechanisms remain elusive. Macrophage activation towards the microbicidal (M1)
program depends on the HIF-1 α-mediated metabolic shift from oxidative
phosphorylation towards glycolysis. Here, we asked whether a tuberculosis (TB)
microenvironment changes the M1 macrophage metabolic state. We exposed M1
macrophages to the acellular fraction of tuberculous pleural effusions (TB-PE),
and found lower glycolytic activity, accompanied by elevated levels of oxidative
phosphorylation and bacillary load, compared to controls. The host-derived lipid
fraction of TB-PE drove these metabolic alterations. HIF-1α stabilization
reverted the effect of TB-PE by restoring M1 metabolism. As a proof-of-concept,
Mtb-infected mice with stabilized HIF-1α displayed lower bacillary loads and a
pronounced M1-like metabolic profile in alveolar macrophages. Collectively, we
demonstrate that host-derived lipids from a TB-associated microenvironment alter
the M1 macrophage metabolic reprogramming by hampering HIF-1α functions, thereby
impairing control of Mtb infection.
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