Soybean lectin-triggered IL-6 secretion induces autophagy to kill intracellular mycobacteria through P2RX7 dependent activation of the JAK2/STAT3/Mcl-1 pathway

  • Cytokine. 2023 Sep 14;171:156366. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156366.
Abtar Mishra  1 ,  Ashish Kumar  1 ,  Lincoln Naik  1 ,  Salina Patel  1 ,  Mousumi Das  1 ,  Assirbad Behura  1 ,  Dev Kiran Nayak  1 ,  Amit Mishra  2 ,  Sujit K Bhutia  3 ,  Ramandeep Singh  4 ,  Rohan Dhiman  5
Affiliations
  • 1. Laboratory of Mycobacterial Immunology, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India.
  • 2. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Unit, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342011, India.
  • 3. Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India.
  • 4. Tuberculosis Research Laboratory, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, PO Box # 4, Faridabad 121001, Haryana, India.
  • 5. Laboratory of Mycobacterial Immunology, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008, Odisha, India. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 37716189 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156366
Abstract

Cytokine therapy and cytokine-mediated Autophagy have been used as prominent host-directed therapy (HDT) approaches to restrain M. tb growth in the host cell. In the present study, we have dissected the anti-tubercular activity of Soybean lectin (SBL) through cytokine-mediated Autophagy induction in differentiated THP-1 (dTHP-1) cells. A significant increase in IL-6 expression was observed in both uninfected and mycobacteria infected dTHP-1 cells through the P2RX7 mediated pathway via PI3K/Akt/CREB-dependent signalling after SBL treatment. Inhibition of IL-6 level using IL-6 neutralizing antibody or associated signalling significantly enhanced the mycobacterial load in SBL-treated dTHP-1 cells. Further, autocrine signalling of IL-6 through its receptor-induced Mcl-1 expression activated Autophagy via JAK2/STAT3 pathway, and inhibition of this pathway affected Autophagy. Finally, blocking the IL-6-regulated Autophagy through NSC 33994 (a JAK2 Inhibitor) or S63845 (an Mcl-1 Inhibitor) led to a notable increase in intracellular mycobacterial growth in SBL-treated cells. Taken together, these results indicate that SBL interacts with P2RX7 to regulate PI3K/Akt/CREB network to release IL-6 in dTHP-1 cells. The released IL-6, in turn, activates the JAK2/STAT3/Mcl-1 pathway upon interaction with IL-6Rα to modulate Autophagy that ultimately controls mycobacterial growth in macrophages.

Keywords
Autophagy; Human macrophages; IL-6, P2RX7; Soybean lectin.
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