Control of tuberculosis worldwide depends on our understanding of human immune mechanisms, which combat the infection. Acquired T cell responses are critical for host defense against microbial pathogens, yet the mechanisms by which they act in humans remain unclear. We report that T cells, by the release of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), induce autophagy, phagosomal maturation, the production of antimicrobial peptides such as cathelicidin, and antimicrobial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in human macrophages via a vitamin D–dependent pathway. IFN-γ induced the antimicrobial pathway in human macrophages cultured in vitamin D–sufficient sera, but not in sera from African-Americans that have lower amounts of vitamin D and who are more susceptible to tuberculosis. In vitro supplementation of vitamin D–deficient serum with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 restored IFN-γ–induced antimicrobial peptide expression, autophagy, phagosome-lysosome fusion, and antimicrobial activity. These results suggest a mechanism in which vitamin D is required for acquired immunity to overcome the ability of intracellular pathogens to evade macrophage-mediated antimicrobial responses. The present findings underscore the importance of adequate amounts of vitamin D in all human populations for sustaining both innate and acquired immunity against infection.

Our PET study replicated postmortem spreading patterns of tau and amyloid-β pathologies. Unlike the diffuse accumulation of amyloid throughout the neocortex, tau spreading occurred in a stepwise fashion through the networks. Image-based tau staging may be useful for the objective assessment of AD progression. Ann Neurol 2016;80:247-258.

The current standard of treatment against tuberculosis consists of a cocktail of first-line drugs, including isoniazid and pyrazinamide. Although these drugs are known to be bactericidal, contribution of host cell responses in the context of antimycobacterial chemotherapy, if any, remains unknown. We demonstrate that isoniazid and pyrazinamide promote autophagy activation and phagosomal maturation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-infected host cells. Treatment of Mtb-infected macrophages with isoniazid or pyrazinamide caused significant activation of cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and autophagy, which was triggered by bacterial hydroxyl radical generation. Mycobacterium marinum-infected autophagy-defective, atg7 mutant Drosophila exhibited decreased survival rates, which could not be rescued by antimycobacterial treatment, indicating that autophagy is required for effective antimycobacterial drug action in vivo. Moreover, activation of autophagy by antibiotic treatment dampened Mtb-induced proinflammatory responses in macrophages. Together, these findings underscore the importance of host autophagy in orchestrating successful antimicrobial responses to mycobacteria during chemotherapy.

No abstract