Mycobacterium tuberculosis Requires Cholesterol Oxidase to Disrupt TLR2 Signalling in Human Macrophages

Figure 1

TLR2 surface expression and TLR2 gene expression in Mtb-infected macrophages. The macrophages were infected with wild-type or ΔchoD Mtb strains for 0.5 to 24 hours. (a) The cells were then stained with the PE-conjugated anti-TLR2 mAb or a specific isotype control for 30 minutes. The TLR2 expression on the macrophages was analysed using flow cytometry. The graphs show the mean values of the from 5 independent experiments. The representative histograms show the receptor expression level on the macrophages for both noninfected and infected macrophages. (b) The TLR2 mRNA level was measured using qRT-PCR. The data are presented as the from 3 independent experiments. The solid line marks the level of gene expression in control cells (noninfected macrophages). RQ represents the fold change in the gene expression in the infected macrophages compared to the noninfected macrophages, calculated using the ABI 7900HT RQ Manager Software v1.2 and DataAssist Software v3.01 (Thermo Fisher Scientific).

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