MAX and infection: Subsequently, we analyzed the expression levels of these 22 transcription factors in A549 cells before and after H37Rv infection using our transcriptome sequencing data, and found that the transcription factors STAT1, CEBPB, KFL4, JUN, and MAX were upregulated after H37Rv infection (Figure 3C), similar to DEFB1 expression, suggesting their potential involvement in the transcriptional regulation of DEFB1.