Date of Award
Spring 2026
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Academic Program
Biological Sciences BS
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Ramesh Rijal
Advisor Department
Biological Sciences
Abstract
In the lungs, macrophages are key defenders that ingest and kill bacteria. Pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) can evade this defense, and previous studies suggest that polyphosphate (polyP), a conserved inorganic polymer produced by bacteria, is associated with altered macrophage function. Globally, men tend to have a higher incidence of Mtb infection with worse health outcomes compared to women. Understanding how polyP is associated with bacterial survival and how male and female macrophages respond differently may provide insight into potential therapeutic approaches. This research aimed to investigate how polyP and Mtb are associated with macrophage responses and differences that exist in pathways between male and female samples. Transcriptomic analysis using RNA sequencing was performed to examine gene expression changes, followed by RT-qPCR for validation and western blot analysis to assess selected protein-level changes. Differences were observed between male and female macrophages in response to Mtb and polyP. Both conditions were associated with transcriptional changes in pathways related to cellular organization and immune response compared to control samples. This research suggests that polyP is associated with altered macrophage responses during Mtb infection, particularly through changes in gene expression. These findings highlight pathways for further investigation and suggest that sex-specific differences may be important for understanding host-directed approaches to TB treatment.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
King, Ella, "Transcriptional and Functional Characterization of Macrophage Responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Polyphosphate" (2026). Honors Theses. 1106.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/1106