ArticlePLoS pathogens2008
Foamy macrophages from tuberculous patients' granulomas constitute a nutrient-rich reservoir for M. tuberculosis persistence.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 408 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
408 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 720 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Novel therapeutic evaluation biomarkers of lipid metabolism targets in uncomplicated pulmonary tuberculosis patients.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2021Trial
- MicroRNA-1246 regulates macrophage lipid metabolism and is involved in resistance to human Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- Host-pathogen interactions in tuberculosis: from immunological mechanisms to translational applications.Cell insight · 2026Review
- Identification of a spatially organized TREM2-associated permissive macrophage niche in human pulmonary tuberculosis alveolar pneumonia.Nature communications · 2026Article
- γδ T Cells at the Crossroads of Tuberculosis and COPD: From Early Immunity to Tissue Remodeling.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Pathogenesis of Tuberculosis: Interplay Between Host Antituberculosis Immunity and Immune Evasion Strategies ofMedComm · 2026Review
- Article
- Applying prior knowledge of regulatory signaling to investigate macrophage cAMP dynamics during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Organelle interplay in host responses and mycobacterial resilience.EMBO reports · 2026Review
- Lipid accumulation in tuberculosis granulomas inhibits macrophage-CD4Nature microbiology · 2026Article
- A single mycobacterial ligand organizes multi-receptor signaling to reprogram macrophage lipid metabolism.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Deubiquitinase USP15 restricts LC3-dependent targeting ofAutophagy · 2026Article
- Breed-specific innate immune responses to Brucella abortus strain RB51 and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin in cattle.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis long-chain fatty acid resistome reveals universal stress protein TB15.3 as essential for infection.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Dysregulation of macrophage lipid metabolism underlies intracellular bacterial neuroinvasion.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Plasma protein biomarkers predictive of progression to active tuberculosis among close contacts of patients with tuberculosis.iScience · 2026Article
- Lipid droplets are rigid and physically suppress phagocytosis, unless cell compression or stretching activates actomyosin.Molecular biology of the cell · 2026Article
- Dyslipidemia in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients Attending Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipal Hospital: Pre- and Post-Anti-Tuberculosis Treatment.Health science reports · 2026Article
- A Series of Pyrazolo-Quinazoline Amines Inhibits the CytochromeJournal of medicinal chemistry · 2026Article
348 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is characterized by a tight interplay between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and host cells within granulomas. These cellular aggregates restrict bacterial spreading, but do not kill all the bacilli, which can persist for years. In-depth investigation of M. tuberculosis interactions with granuloma-specific cell populations are needed to gain insight into mycobacterial persistence, and to better understand the physiopathology of the disease. We have analyzed the formation of foamy macrophages (FMs), a granuloma-specific cell population characterized by its high lipid content, and studied their interaction with the tubercle bacillus. Within our in vitro human granuloma model, M. tuberculosis long chain fatty acids, namely oxygenated mycolic acids (MA), triggered the differentiation of human monocyte-derived macrophages into FMs. In these cells, mycobacteria no longer replicated and switched to a dormant non-replicative state. Electron microscopy observation of M. tuberculosis-infected FMs showed that the mycobacteria-containing phagosomes migrate towards host cell lipid bodies (LB), a process which culminates with the engulfment of the bacillus into the lipid droplets and with the accumulation of lipids within the microbe. Altogether, our results suggest that oxygenated mycolic acids from M. tuberculosis play a crucial role in the differentiation of macrophages into FMs. These cells might constitute a reservoir used by the tubercle bacillus for long-term persistence within its human host, and could provide a relevant model for the screening of new antimicrobials against non-replicating persistent mycobacteria.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.