Transferrin, Iron, and Serum Lipids Enhance or Inhibit Mycobacterium avium Replication in Human Macrophages

Mycobacterium avium grows exponentially over 7 days in human macrophages when they are cultured in serumless medium. Normal serum inhibits this replication. When serum lipids were extracted using chloroform, the inhibitor was present in the lipid-free component. The lipid extract significantly enhan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1993-04, Vol.167 (4), p.857-764
Main Authors: Douvas, George S., May, Mary H., Crowle, Alfred J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
AIDS
AIDS/HIV
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Growth, nutrition, cell differenciation
HIV Seropositivity - blood
Humans
Infections
Iron
Iron - pharmacology
Lipids
Macrophages
Macrophages - microbiology
Major Articles
Male
Microbiology
Middle Aged
Mycobacterium avium
Mycobacterium avium - drug effects
Mycobacterium avium - growth & development
Quaternary ammonium compounds
Sulfates
Transferrin - drug effects
Transferrin - isolation & purification
Transferrin - pharmacology
Transferrins
Triglycerides
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Summary:Mycobacterium avium grows exponentially over 7 days in human macrophages when they are cultured in serumless medium. Normal serum inhibits this replication. When serum lipids were extracted using chloroform, the inhibitor was present in the lipid-free component. The lipid extract significantly enhanced M. avium replication. Iron (Fe2+)added at 8-80 µg/mL to infected macrophage cultures in serum resulted in enhanced mycobacterial replication. Serum-induced inhibition of bacterial growth in serumless medium could be duplicated with apotransferrin at 50-500 µg/mL. At 1000 µg/mL, apotransferrin no longer inhibited bacterial growth. Holotransferrin was not inhibitory, and at 500 µg/mL, it enhanced M. avium growth. Depletion of the transferrin in serum by affinity chromatography using goat anti-transferrin on protein G-Sepharose removed inhibitory activity. These results indicate that transferrin levels, transferrin saturation, iron levels, and serum lipids can profoundly alter the replication of M. avium in association with macrophages.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/167.4.857