Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41513601›Full record

ArticleCell death & disease2026

Mycobacterium avium infection induced PD-L1 overexpression in macrophages: a potential involvement with immune escape.

Hiromu Yano, Yukio Fujiwara, Remi Mito, Cheng Pan, Katsuhiko Ono, Kosuke Imamura, Takuro Niidome, Tomohiro Sawa, Masahiro Yamamoto, Takuro Sakagami and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell death & disease, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Hiromu YanoDepartment of Tumor Pathology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kumamoto University, 4-24-1 Kuhonji, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 862-0976, Japan.
Yukio FujiwaraDepartment of Cell Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan. fuji-y@kumamoto-u.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2074-0597
Remi MitoDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan.
Cheng PanDepartment of Cell Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan.
Katsuhiko OnoDepartment of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan.
Kosuke ImamuraDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan.
Takuro NiidomeFaculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan.
Tomohiro SawaDepartment of Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan.
Masahiro YamamotoDepartment of Tumor Pathology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kumamoto University, 4-24-1 Kuhonji, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 862-0976, Japan.
Takuro SakagamiDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan.
Yoshihiro KomoharaDepartment of Cell Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan.

Funding

MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 23K06362
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections are difficult to cure completely with current treatments, and no specific drugs are available. However, recent reports have indicated that immune checkpoint inhibitors may effectively treat pulmonary NTM infections. In this study, we investigated the expression of immune checkpoint molecules in macrophages, the host cells of NTM, and assessed their impact on the microenvironment of infected lesions. Bulk-RNA sequencing and western blot analyses revealed that macrophages infected with Mycobacterium avium, an NTM species, exhibited a pro-inflammatory phenotype and increased PD-L1 expression. Additionally, immunostaining of an NTM-infected mouse model and human tissues showed that increased PD-L1 expression in macrophages was associated with decreased T cell infiltration and increased T cell exhaustion (upregulated PD-1 expression) within infected lesions. These findings suggest that NTM infections evade cellular immunity by enhancing PD-L1 expression in macrophages. Therefore, PD-L1 inhibition may be a promising therapeutic strategy against NTM infections.

Indexed as

B7-H1 AntigenImmune EvasionMacrophagesMycobacterium aviumMycobacterium Infections, NontuberculousAnimalsHumansMiceMice, Inbred C57BLT-Cell ExhaustionB7-H1 AntigenCD274 protein, humanCd274 protein, mouse

Identifiers

PMID41513601
PMCPMC12789633

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.