Interestingly, the results of previous studies suggest that the MDM2 hub-central gene showed higher levels of expression in response to infection with virulent strains of M. bovis (AF2122/97) than attenuated strains (G18) and with greater inhibition of apoptosis in macrophages infected with AF2122/97 played a crucial role in the development of bTB (Jensen et al., 2018). Here, MDM2 is linked to infection.