Regulatory mechanism of the generation of immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

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This study was carried out to find out the molecular mechanism as to how Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG regulate the immune response in infected host. The research revealed that the RD1 locus in the M. tuberculosis genome, which is highly implicated in bacterial virulence, is involved in the production of IL-1α, IL-1βand IL-18 by promoting the activation of calpain and caspase-1, respectively. In addition, it is probable that mycobacterial PPE37 protein contributes to the inhibition of IL-6 and TNF-αproduction from infected macrophages. Moreover, it has been shown that the PD-1 signal pathway is required for the suppression of hyper-immune response to M. tuberculosis infection. On the other hand, it is certain that the efficacy of BCG vaccination is enhanced by the impediment of signal pathway.