CYP1B1-AS1 regulates CYP1B1 to promote Coxiella burnetii pathogenesis by inhibiting ROS and host cell death

Aryashree Arunima, Seyednami Niyakan, Samantha M. Butler, Sabrina D. Clark, Anna Pinson, Doyoung Kwak, Elizabeth Di Russo Case, Xiaoning Qian, Paul Figueiredo, Erin J. Schaik and James E. Samuel ()
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Aryashree Arunima: Texas A&M University Health Science Center
Seyednami Niyakan: Texas A&M University
Samantha M. Butler: Texas A&M University Health Science Center
Sabrina D. Clark: Texas A&M University Health Science Center
Anna Pinson: Texas A&M University Health Science Center
Doyoung Kwak: Texas A&M University
Elizabeth Di Russo Case: University of Wyoming
Xiaoning Qian: Texas A&M University
Paul Figueiredo: University of Missouri
Erin J. Schaik: Texas A&M University Health Science Center
James E. Samuel: Texas A&M University Health Science Center

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-24

Abstract: Abstract Coxiella burnetii (Cb), the causative agent of Q fever, replicates within host macrophages by modulating immune responses through poorly understood mechanisms. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial yet underexplored regulators of inflammation, particularly in Cb pathogenesis. Employing a comparative transcriptomic analysis of THP-1 macrophages infected with 16 different microbes, we dissect a core set of immune-responsive lncRNAs such as MAILR, LINC01215, PACER, and MROCKI-common to human anti-pathogen responses, and distinguish them from lncRNAs specifically altered at early (1 h) time points in individual infections. In particular, our approach identifies lncRNA CYP1B1-AS1 as specifically upregulated in a spatiotemporal manner along with CYP1B1 in cis during Cb infection. Promoter assays confirm their co-regulation via a shared bidirectional promoter, while aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)-lucia luciferase and nuclear translocation assays demonstrate that Cb infection activates AHR, driving their transcription. Knockdown of CYP1B1-AS1 or CYP1B1 alone disrupts mitochondrial homeostasis, increases ROS and mitochondrial dysfunction, and exacerbates apoptosis during infection. These findings position the CYP1B1-AS1/CYP1B1 axis as a key regulator of mitochondrial homeostasis under AHR signaling, supporting an intracellular environment that benefits Cb replication. Our results highlight the critical roles of lncRNAs in immune regulation and provide a valuable resource for future lncRNA research.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62762-2

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