Comparative transcriptomics of THP-1 monocytes in response to different pathogens

Abstract

Undifferentiated human monocytes encounter various pathogens while present in the bloodstream. They are considered a primary responder and regulator for human immune reactions. As such, experiments investigating responses to pathogens are often reliant on monocyte cell cultures. For reproducibility reasons, immortalized cell lines are used. One of the most important cell lines used to model pathogen interactions is THP-1, which has been used in a variety of high throughput transcriptomics experiments. Yet as a cancer derived cell line it may no longer maintain its orignial functionality in detecting and responding to pathogens. Using available large scale transcriptomics datasets, we compare the response of THP-1 to a variety of human pathogens; viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi. Our approach focuses on the behavior of THP1 in its response to the different pathogens. Our aim is to provide comparative insights into the cell lines, which may serve to potentially improve future experimental design.