Novel Long Non-coding RNA and LASSO Prediction Model to Better Identify Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Case-Control Study in China

Integrating pathogen- and host-derived blood biomarkers for enhanced tuberculosis diagnosis: a comprehensive review

This review explores the evolving landscape of blood biomarkers in the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), focusing on biomarkers derived both from the pathogen and the host. These biomarkers provide critical insights that can improve diagnostic accuracy and timeliness, essential for effective TB management. The document highlights recent advancements in molecular techniques that have enhanced the detection and characterization of specific biomarkers. It also discusses the integration of these biomarkers into clinical practice, emphasizing their potential to revolutionize TB diagnostics by enabling more precise detection and monitoring of the disease progression. Challenges such as variability in biomarker expression and the need for standardized validation processes are addressed to ensure reliability across different populations and settings. The review calls for further research to refine these biomarkers and fully harness their potential in the fight against TB, suggesting a multidisciplinary approach to overcome existing barriers and optimize diagnostic strategies. This comprehensive analysis underscores the significance of blood biomarkers as invaluable tools in the global effort to control and eliminate TB.

Advances of Long Non-Coding RNAs as Potential Biomarkers for Tuberculosis: New Hope for Diagnosis?

Tuberculosis (TB), one of the top ten causes of death globally induced by the infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a grave public health issue worldwide. With almost one-third of the world's population getting infected by Mtb, between 5% and 10% of these infected individuals are predicted to develop active TB disease, which would not only result in severe tissue damage and necrosis, but also pose serious threats to human life. However, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis and immunology of TB remain unclear, which significantly restricts the effective control of TB epidemics. Despite significant advances in current detection technologies and treatments for TB, there are still no appropriate solutions that are suitable for simultaneous, early, rapid, and accurate screening of TB. Various cellular events can perturb the development and progression of TB, which are always associated with several specific molecular signaling events controlled by dysregulated gene expression patterns. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a kind of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) with a transcript of more than 200 nucleotides in length in eukaryotic cells, have been found to regulate the expression of protein-coding genes that are involved in some critical signaling events, such as inflammatory, pathological, and immunological responses. Increasing evidence has claimed that lncRNAs might directly influence the susceptibility to TB, as well as the development and progression of TB. Therefore, lncRNAs have been widely expected to serve as promising molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets for TB. In this review, we summarized the functions of lncRNAs and their regulatory roles in the development and progression of TB. More importantly, we widely discussed the potential of lncRNAs to act as TB biomarkers, which would offer new possibilities in novel diagnostic strategy exploration and benefit the control of the TB epidemic.

Long Non-coding RNAs in Tuberculosis: From Immunity to Biomarkers

Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the leading lethal infectious disease with 1.3 million deaths in 2020. Despite significant advances have been made in detection techniques and therapeutic approaches for tuberculosis, no suitable diagnostic tools are available for early and precise screening. Many studies have reported that Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a regulatory role in gene expression in the host immune response against Mtb. Dysregulation of lncRNAs expression patterns associated with immunoregulatory pathways arose in mycobacterial infection. Meanwhile, host-induced lncRNAs regulate antibacterial processes such as apoptosis and autophagy to limit bacterial proliferation. In this review, we try to summarize the latest reports on how dysregulated expressed lncRNAs influence host immune response in tuberculosis infection. We also discuss their potential clinical prospects for tuberculosis diagnosis and development as molecular biomarkers.

Diagnostic value of Long non-coding Ribonucleic Acid non-coding activated by Deoxyribonucleic Acid damage in pulmonary tuberculosis and its regulatory role in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of macrophages

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) infection is a chronic inflammatory response caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The purpose of this study was to confirm the value of Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) non-coding activated by DNA damage (NORAD) in the diagnosis of PTB and to explore its mechanism in Mtb-infected macrophages. NORAD serum levels were estimated by qRT-PCR in 90 PTB patients and 85 healthy individuals. ROC curves were employed to assess the diagnostic value of NORAD for PTB. Human and murine macrophages were infected with Mtb strain H37Rv. CCK-8 and ELISA detected macrophages viability and inflammatory cytokine secretion. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to analyze the targeting relationship between NORAD and microRNA (miR)-618. NORAD was significantly elevated in patients with PTB, and its positivity was correlated with inflammatory cytokines IL-1 β (r = 0.854), TNF-α (r = 0.617), IL-6 (r = 0.585). With an AUC of 0.918, and sensitivity and specificity of 80.0% and 89.4%, respectively, NORAD remarkedly identified PTB patients from healthy individuals. Furthermore, Mtb infection significantly increased NORAD levels in THP-1 and RAW264.7 and increased their viability and inflammation (P <0.001). However, this increased effect was weakened by reduced NORAD. Dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-618 in macrophages was a target miRNA for NORAD and can be negatively regulated by it. Moreover, elevated miR-618 suppressed macrophage viability and inflammation in Mtb infection. NORAD is a potential diagnostic biomarker for PTB and is involved in Mtb infected macrophage activity and inflammation by targeting miR-618. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.