Cofilin-1 as a potential biomarker for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Tuberculosis (TB) induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), is one of the deadliest human infections worldwide. Our previous studies demonstrated cofilin-1 (CFL1) expression was significantly increased in exosomes from Mycobacterium avium (M. avium)-infected macrophages. The expression of CFL1 protein in M. tb infected hosts was investigated in the present study to predict whether CFL1 could have potential as a biomarker for M. tb infection. In the present study, the mRNA and protein expression levels of CFL1 in M. avium-infected macrophages and supernatants were analyzed via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting. Furthermore, CFL1 expression in macrophages was knocked down in vivo, and then CFL1 expression levels in M. avium-infected macrophages and supernatant were detected via western blotting and ELISA. In addition, CFL1 was detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma of patients with TB using western blotting and ELISA. The specificity and sensitivity of CFL1 as a biomarker and the association between TB infection and normal individuals were compared and analyzed using GraphPad Prism 5. CFL1 protein expression levels were significantly increased in M. avium-infected macrophages and supernatant. Meanwhile, CFL1 was upregulated in patients with TB. Bioinformatics statistics indicated the high specificity and sensitivity of CFL1 in patients with TB. Thus, these results suggest that CFL1 may act as a potential biomarker of TB infection.