Persistent bone marrow hemozoin accumulation confers a survival advantage against bacterial infection via cell-intrinsic Myd88 signaling

Abstract

Malaria remains a global health challenge, affecting millions annually. Hemozoin (Hz) deposition in the bone marrow disrupts hematopoiesis and modulates immune responses, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we show that persistent hemozoin deposition induces a sustained bias toward myelopoiesis, increasing peripheral myeloid cell numbers. Hz drives this process through a cell-intrinsic, MyD88-dependent pathway, enhancing chromatin accessibility of transcription factors such as Runx1 and Etv6 in granulocyte-macrophage progenitors. These findings are confirmed by intraosseous Hz injections and bone marrow chimeras. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals increased reactive oxygen species production in monocytes from malaria-recovered mice, correlating with enhanced bactericidal capacity. This highlights an alternative aspect of post-malarial immunity and extends our understanding of trained immunity, suggesting that pathogen by-products like Hz can induce innate immune memory. These results offer insights into therapeutic strategies that harness trained immunity to combat infectious diseases.

Keywords: CP: Immunology; hemozoin; innate immune memory; malaria; myelopoiesis; trained immunity.