Abstract
AIM2 (absent in melanoma 2), an inflammasome component, mediates IL-1β release in murine macrophages and cell lines. AIM2 and IL-1β contribute to murine control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection, but AIM2's impact in human macrophages, the primary niche for M.tb, remains unclear. We show that M.tb, Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), and M. smegmatis induce AIM2 expression in primary human macrophages. M.tb-induced AIM2 expression is peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ)-dependent and M.tb ESX-1-independent, whereas BCG- and M. smegmatis-induced AIM2 expression is PPARγ-independent. PPARγ and NLRP3, but not AIM2, are important for IL-1β release in response to M.tb, and NLRP3 colocalizes with M.tb. This is in contrast to the role for AIM2 in inflammasome activation in mice and peritoneal macrophages. Altogether, we show that mycobacteria induce AIM2 expression in primary human macrophages, but AIM2 does not contribute to IL-1β release during M.tb infection, providing further evidence that AIM2 expression and function are regulated in a cell- and/or species-specific manner.