Unveiling asymptomatic infection in situ using lung slice models

Early and asymptomatic in situ interaction between infectious agents with alveoli, the first niches of critical infections including Covid19 and Tuberculosis, needs to be investigated to realize detection of asymptomatic infected patients at high risk of becoming contagious or severely ill. I developed the lung slice models that enable the investigation of the initial interaction between host cells (alveolar macrophages, AMs) and mycobacteria in situ in human lungs, where infection was specifically initiated from alveolar space as in vivo. AMs in the lung slices eliminated intracellular BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin, the world-widely used vaccine strain for tuberculosis) as in vivo AMs did, however, in vitro cultured AMs permitted intracellular BCG to proliferate. My in-depth customized transcriptomic analysis further pinpointed a fine-tuned TLR4 signaling required for AMs to control infection. Lung environmental surfactants contribute to the optimal TLR4 signaling.

Jun 1, 2021 1:00 PM — 3:00 PM