Microbiome Alteration in Lung Tissues of Tuberculosis Patients Revealed by Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing and Immune-Related Transcriptional Profile Identified by Transcriptome Sequencing

This study explored
alterations in the respiratory microbiome and
transcriptome after Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in tuberculosis (TB) patients. Metagenomic next-generation
sequencing (mNGS) was adopted to reveal the microbiome in lung tissues
from 110 TB and 25 nontuberculous (NonTB) patients. Transcriptome
sequencing was performed in TB tissues (n = 3), tissues
adjacent to TB (ParaTB, n = 3), and NonTB tissues
(n = 3) to analyze differentially expressed genes
(DEGs) and functional pathways. The microbial β diversity (p = 0.01325) in TB patients differed from that in the NonTB
group, with 17 microbial species distinctively distributed. Eighty-three
co-up-regulated DEGs were identified in the TB versus NonTB and the
TB versus ParaTB comparison groups, and six were associated with immune
response to Mtb. These DEGs were significantly enriched in the signaling
pathways such as immune response, NF-κB, and B cell receptor.
Data in the lung tissue microbiome and transcriptome in TB patients
offer a sufficient understanding of the pathogenesis of TB.