Zebrafish tsc1 and cxcl12a increase susceptibility to mycobacterial infection

Regulation of host miRNA expression is a contested node that controls the host immune response to mycobacterial infection. The host must counter subversive efforts of pathogenic mycobacteria to launch a protective immune response. Here, we examine the role of miR-126 in the zebrafish-Mycobacterium marinum infection model and identify a protective role for infection-induced miR-126 through multiple effector pathways. We identified a putative link between miR-126 and the tsc1a and cxcl12a/ccl2/ccr2 signalling axes resulting in the suppression of non-tnfa expressing macrophage accumulation at early M. marinum granulomas. Mechanistically, we found a detrimental effect of tsc1a expression that renders zebrafish embryos susceptible to higher bacterial burden and increased cell death via mTOR inhibition. We found that macrophage recruitment driven by the cxcl12a/ccl2/ccr2 signalling axis was at the expense of the recruitment of classically activated tnfa-expressing macrophages and increased cell death around granulomas. Together, our results delineate putative pathways by which infection-induced miR-126 may shape an effective immune response to M. marinum infection in zebrafish embryos.