Tuberculosis Exacerbates HIV-1 Infection through IL-10/STAT3-Dependent Tunneling Nanotube Formation in Macrophages

SOURIANT, SHANTI; BALBOA, LUCIANA; DUPONT, MAEVA; PINGRIS, KARINE; KVIATCOVSKY, DENISE; COUGOULE, CÉLINE; LASTRUCCI, CLAIRE; BAH, AICHA; GASSER, ROMAIN; POINCLOUX, RENAUD; RAYNAUD-MESSINA, BRIGITTE; AL SAATI, TALAL; INWENTARZ, SANDRA; POGGI, SUSANA; MORAÑA, EDUARDO JOSE; GONZÁLEZ-MONTANER, PABLO; CORTI, MARCELO; LAGANE, BERNARD; VERGNE, ISABELLE; ALLERS, CAROLINA; KAUSHAL, DEEPAK; KURODA, MARCELO J.; SASIAIN, MARIA DEL CARMEN; NEYROLLES, OLIVIER; MARIDONNEAU-PARINI, ISABELLE; LUGO-VILLARINO, GEANNCARLO; VÉROLLET, CHRISTEL

Cell Reports

Elsevier B.V.

Año: 2019

The tuberculosis (TB) bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), and HIV-1 act synergistically; however, the mechanisms by which Mtb exacerbates HIV-1 pathogenesis are not well known. Using in vitro and ex vivo cell culture systems, we show that human M(IL-10) anti-inflammatory macrophages, present in TB-associated microenvironment, produce high levels of HIV-1. In vivo, M(IL-10) macrophages are expanded in lungs of co-infected non-human primates, which correlates with disease severity. Furthermore, HIV-1/Mtb co-infected patients display an accumulation of M(IL-10) macrophage markers (soluble CD163 and MerTK). These M(IL-10) macrophages form direct cell-to-cell bridges, which we identified as tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) involved in viral transfer. TNT formation requires the IL-10/STAT3 signaling pathway, and targeted inhibition of TNTs substantially reduces the enhancement of HIV-1 cell-to-cell transfer and overproduction in M(IL-10) macrophages. Our study reveals that TNTs facilitate viral transfer and amplification, thereby promoting TNT formation as a mechanism to be explored in TB/AIDS potential therapeutics.