CAGE sequencing reveals CFTR-dependent dysregulation of type I IFN signaling in activated cystic fibrosis macrophages

JL Gillan, M Chokshi, GR Hardisty… - Science …, 2023 - science.org
JL Gillan, M Chokshi, GR Hardisty, S Clohisey Hendry, D Prasca-Chamorro, NJ Robinson…
Science Advances, 2023science.org
An intense, nonresolving airway inflammatory response leads to destructive lung disease in
cystic fibrosis (CF). Dysregulation of macrophage immune function may be a key facet
governing the progression of CF lung disease, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully
understood. We used 5′ end centered transcriptome sequencing to profile P. aeruginosa
LPS-activated human CF macrophages, showing that CF and non-CF macrophages deploy
substantially distinct transcriptional programs at baseline and following activation. This …
An intense, nonresolving airway inflammatory response leads to destructive lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). Dysregulation of macrophage immune function may be a key facet governing the progression of CF lung disease, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We used 5′ end centered transcriptome sequencing to profile P. aeruginosa LPS-activated human CF macrophages, showing that CF and non-CF macrophages deploy substantially distinct transcriptional programs at baseline and following activation. This includes a significantly blunted type I IFN signaling response in activated patient cells relative to healthy controls that was reversible upon in vitro treatment with CFTR modulators in patient cells and by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to correct the F508del mutation in patient-derived iPSC macrophages. These findings illustrate a previously unidentified immune defect in human CF macrophages that is CFTR dependent and reversible with CFTR modulators, thus providing new avenues in the search for effective anti-inflammatory interventions in CF.
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