creators_name: Lamba, Taruna
creators_name: Zafar, Mohammad Adeel
creators_name: Shaaz, Mohammad
creators_name: Singh, Sanpreet
creators_name: Singh, Sudhakar
creators_name: Khan, Mohd Affan
creators_name: Prajapati, Shivank
creators_name: Malik, Junaid A
creators_name: Nanda, Sidhanta
creators_name: Siddiqui, Kaneez F
creators_name: Arora, Ashish
creators_name: Sehrawat, Sharvan
creators_name: Agrewala, Javed N
type: article
datestamp: 2026-02-01 14:11:08
lastmod: 2026-02-02 07:42:30
metadata_visibility: show
title: Mycobacterium tuberculosis Acr1 protein mitigates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis symptoms by generating myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells
ispublished: pub
subjects: QR
keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Acr1; TLR4; Tregs; autoimmunity; experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; myeloid-derived suppressor cells
abstract: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) effectively suppresses host immunity to ensure its survival. We have earlier shown that the Acr1 protein of Mtb can inhibit the differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs). Consequently, in the current study, we examined the role of Acr1 in mitigating autoimmunity. Initially, we observed that Acr1 skews the differentiation of DCs into functionally competent myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCAcr1) that chiefly secrete immunosuppressive molecules, expand regulatory T cells (TregAcr1) and attenuate inflammatory responses. Further, MDSCAcr1 suppress Th17 cells. Acr1 expanded MDSCs with a concurrent increase in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-specific Tregs and a decline in Th17 cells in a murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model and prevented the onset of the disease. These results were further validated in the prophylactic model of EAE. Mechanistically, Acr1 activates Tregs and MDSCs via the TLR-4 pathway, implicating innate immune recognition in Mtb-induced suppression. The results indicate a potential role of Acr1 against autoimmune diseases.
date: 2025
date_type: published
publication: Immunology
volume: 177
number: 2
publisher: Wiley
pagerange: 370-383
refereed: TRUE
citation:   Lamba, Taruna and Zafar, Mohammad Adeel and Shaaz, Mohammad and Singh, Sanpreet and Singh, Sudhakar and Khan, Mohd Affan and Prajapati, Shivank and Malik, Junaid A and Nanda, Sidhanta and Siddiqui, Kaneez F and Arora, Ashish and Sehrawat, Sharvan and Agrewala, Javed N  (2025) Mycobacterium tuberculosis Acr1 protein mitigates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis symptoms by generating myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells.  Immunology, 177 (2).  pp. 370-383.