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Updated: Jul 23, 2025
Polarization of M1 and M2 Human Monocyte-Derived Cells and Analysis with Flow Cytometry upon Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection
Published on: September 18, 2020
Identification of circulating monocytes as producers of tuberculosis disease biomarker C1q
Paula Niewold1, Douwe J Dijkstra2, Yi Cai3
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands. p.niewold@lumc.nl.
Insights
Researchers identified monocytes as the source of increased complement component C1q in tuberculosis (TB) patients. This finding helps understand TB biomarkers and could aid in diagnosing this widespread infectious disease.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health concern, causing millions of deaths annually.
- Diagnosing TB can be challenging, especially in resource-limited settings.
- Elevated serum levels of complement component C1q are a promising biomarker for TB, but its cellular origin remains unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the specific cell types responsible for producing complement component C1q in circulation.
- To correlate C1q production with different monocyte subsets.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of human cohort data, a clinical trial, and a non-human primate study.
- Correlation of cell subset frequencies with serum C1q levels.
- Single-cell RNA sequencing and flow cytometry.
Main Results:
- Monocytes were identified as the primary producers of C1q in circulation.
- Classical and intermediate monocytes showed pronounced C1q expression.
- Non-classical monocytes exhibited variable C1q expression.
Conclusions:
- Monocytes are the source of elevated C1q in tuberculosis patients.
- Understanding C1q-producing cells may refine TB diagnostic strategies.
- This research contributes to the field of TB biomarker development.
Abstract:
Tuberculosis (TB) is a prevalent disease causing an estimated 1.6 million deaths and 10.6 million new cases annually. Discriminating TB disease from differential diagnoses can be complex, particularly in the field. Increased levels of complement component C1q in serum have been identified as a specific and accessible biomarker for TB disease but the source of C1q in circulation has not been identified. Here, data and samples previously collected from human cohorts, a clinical trial and a non-human primate study were used to identify cells producing C1q in circulation. Cell subset frequencies were correlated with serum C1q levels and combined with single cell RNA sequencing and flow cytometry analyses. This identified monocytes as C1q producers in circulation, with a pronounced expression of C1q in classical and intermediate monocytes and variable expression in non-classical monocytes.
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