PUBLICATION

Real-time visualization of mycobacterium-macrophage interactions leading to initiation of granuloma formation in zebrafish embryos

Authors
Davis, J.M., Clay, H., Lewis, J.L., Ghori, N., Herbomel, P., and Ramakrishnan, L.
ID
ZDB-PUB-021212-1
Date
2002
Source
Immunity   17(6): 693-702 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Clay, Hilary, Davis, James M., Herbomel, Philippe, Lewis, Julian, Ramakrishnan, Lalita
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Bacterial Adhesion/immunology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/cytology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/immunology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/microbiology
  • Granuloma/immunology*
  • Granuloma/microbiology*
  • Macrophages/immunology*
  • Macrophages/microbiology*
  • Microscopy, Video
  • Mycobacterium marinum/physiology*
  • Mycobacterium marinum/ultrastructure
  • Zebrafish/embryology
  • Zebrafish/immunology*
  • Zebrafish/microbiology
PubMed
12479816 Full text @ Immunity
Abstract
Infection of vertebrate hosts with pathogenic Mycobacteria, the agents of tuberculosis, produces granulomas, highly organized structures containing differentiated macrophages and lymphocytes, that sequester the pathogen. Adult zebrafish are naturally susceptible to tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium marinum. Here, we exploit the optical transparency of zebrafish embryos to image the events of M. marinum infection in vivo. Despite the fact that the embryos do not yet have lymphocytes, infection leads to the formation of macrophage aggregates with pathological hallmarks of granulomas and activation of previously identified granuloma-specific Mycobacterium genes. Thus, Mycobacterium-macrophage interactions can initiate granuloma formation solely in the context of innate immunity. Strikingly, infection can redirect normal embryonic macrophage migration, even recruiting macrophages seemingly committed to their developmentally dictated tissue sites.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping