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Human Genomics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and Disease

  • Genomics (SM Williams, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The study of the genetic basis of tuberculosis pathogenesis has benefited from powerful technological innovations, a more structured definition of latent and clinical manifestations of the disease, and the application of functional genomic approaches. This short review aims to summarize recent advances and to provide a link with results of previous human genetic studies of tuberculosis susceptibility.

Recent Findings

Transcriptomics has been shown to be a useful tool to predict progression from latency to clinical disease while functional genomics has traced the molecular events that link pathogen-triggered gene expression and host genetics. Resistance to infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been revealed to be strongly impacted by host genetics. Host genomics of clinical disease has been shown to be most powerful when focusing on carefully selected clinical entities and possibly by considering host-pathogen combinations.

Summary

Future studies need to build on the latest molecular findings to define disease subtypes to successfully elucidate the human genetic component in tuberculosis pathogenesis.

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Acknowledgements

Research in the authors’ laboratory is supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; FDN-143332) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH; R01 AI124349).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, 1001 boul Décarie, Site Glen Block E, Room EM3.3210, Montréal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada

    Marianna Orlova & Erwin Schurr

  2. McGill International TB Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Marianna Orlova & Erwin Schurr

  3. Departments of Medicine and Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Marianna Orlova & Erwin Schurr

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  1. Marianna Orlova
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  2. Erwin Schurr
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Correspondence to Erwin Schurr.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Genomics

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Orlova, M., Schurr, E. Human Genomics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and Disease. Curr Genet Med Rep 5, 125–131 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40142-017-0124-7

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