Elevated glycolytic metabolism of monocytes limits the generation of HIF-1α-driven migratory dendritic cells in tuberculosis

During tuberculosis, migration of dendritic cells (DCs) from the site of infection to the draining lymph nodes is known to be impaired, hindering the rapid development of protective T-cell mediated immunity. However, the mechanisms involved in the delayed migration of DCs during TB are still poorly defined. Here, we found that infection of DCs with Mycobacterium tuberculosis triggers HIF-1α-mediated aerobic glycolysis in a TLR2-dependent manner, and that this metabolic profile is essential for DC migration. In particular, oxamate, a glycolysis inhibitor, or PX-478, an HIF-1α inhibitor, completely abrogated M. tuberculosis-induced DC migration in vitro to the lymphoid tissue chemokine CCL21, and in vivo to lymph nodes in mice. Strikingly, we found that although monocytes from TB patients are inherently biased toward glycolysis metabolism, they differentiate into poorly glycolytic and poorly migratory DCs, compared with healthy subjects. Taken together, these data suggest that because of their preexisting glycolytic state, circulating monocytes from TB patients are refractory to differentiation into migratory DCs, which may explain the delayed migration of these cells during the course of the disease and opens avenues for host-directed therapies for TB. Graphical Abstract