Gene Expression Analysis of Blood PBMC Response to Mycobacterium leprae antigens

8 leprosy patients including 4 multibacillary (MB) and 4 paucibacillary (PB), and 8 non-leprosy controls including 4 healthy house contacts (HHCs) and 4 endemic controls (ECs) were included in the study. The immune response differences between leprosy patients and controls were evaluated by analyzing the transcriptional profiles of PBMCs to M. leprae sonicate antigens by RNA-seq. The analyses revealed potential biomarkers (including mRNAs and lncRNAs) preferentially expressed in PBMCs in leprosy patients that may be useful for early diagnosis of leprosy. Overall design: PBMCs were isolated from leprosy patients and controls, then stimulated with M. leprae whole cell sonicate antigens (10 µg/ml) followed by RNA-seq analysis.