Fluorescence Assays for the Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Interaction with the Immune Receptor SLAMF1

Our research provides a useful guide for studying the biochemical interaction between microbacterium tuberculosis and microbial sensors expressing human microphages and will be relevant to the stiffer molecules that play a role in the entry of microbacterium tuberculosis to fibrocytes. Receptor interaction have been studied over the years using approaches that usually employ the use of reporter machines, hermetic molecules, leveled recombinant proteins, knockout, knockdown, lower expression models. These techniques can be challenging, time demanding, and sometimes expensive.

Using the published protocol, we show, for the first time that in macrophages, SLMF1 receptor interacts with mycobacterium tuberculosis, promoting bacterial uptake and leading to endolysosomal maturation. We have overcome difficulties associated with gene expression experiments and we have described a new target for new therapeutic strategies. Our protocol offers two alternatives to detect biochemical interaction between microbacterium tuberculosis and SLMF1 microbial sensor using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy, two usually available and fruitfully used techniques.