Induction of apoptosis and release of interleukin-1β by cell wall-associated 19-kDa lipoprotein during the course of mycobacterial infection

Mycobacterium tuberculosis induces apoptosis in human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) during the early stages of infection. We investigated the proapoptotic role of cell wall-associated mycobacterial 19-kDa lipoprotein and the possible association between 19-kDa lipoprotein signaling and production of proinflammatory cytokines. Purified mycobacterial 19-kDa lipoprotein, 19-kDa lipoprotein-expressing M. smegmatis (M. smegmatis 19 ⁺), 19-kDa lipoprotein knockout (KO) M. tuberculosis, and 19-kDa lipoprotein KO M. bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) strains were analyzed for their ability to induce apoptosis in MDMs. The 19-kDa lipoprotein and infection with M. smegmatis 19 ⁺ induced apoptosis in MDMs. M. tuberculosis and BCG KO strains had significantly decreased abilities to induce apoptosis. The 19-kDa lipoprotein proapoptotic signal was mediated by Toll-like receptor 2 but not by tumor necrosis factor-α. Only the release of interleukin (IL)-1β was decreased after infection with 19-kDa lipoprotein KO strains. These findings indicate that the 19-kDa lipoprotein is the main signal required to trigger both apoptosis and the release of IL-1β during the early stages of mycobacterial infection.