The gene encoding P27 lipoprotein and a putative antibiotic-resistance gene form an operon in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis

• Published in: Microbiology (Society for General Microbiology) Vol. 146; no. 4; pp. 1011 - 1018
• Main Authors: Bigi, F, Alito, A, Romano, M. I, Zumarraga, M, Caimi, K, Cataldi, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01-04-2000; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Drug Resistance, Microbial - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Bacterial; Genetics; Lipoproteins - genetics; Microbiology; Mycobacterium bovis; Mycobacterium bovis - genetics; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - genetics; Operon; P27 protein; Mycobacterium bovis; Operon; Transcription promoter; Gene organization; Lipoprotein; Resistance; Antibiotic; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacteriales; Mycobacteriaceae; Bacteria; Actinomycetes; Carrier protein
• ISSN: 1350-0872; 1465-2080
• DOI: 10.1099/00221287-146-4-1011

Instituto de Biotecnología 1 and Instituto de Patobiología 2 , CICV-INTA, PO Box 77, Castelar, Argentina
Author for correspondence: A. Cataldi. Tel: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. e-mail: acataldi{at}inta.gov.ar
P27 is an antigenic membrane lipoprotein synthesized by members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Northern blotting and RT-PCR experiments indicated that the genes encoding P27 and a putative antibiotic transporter (P55) form an operon. A promoter region was identified and characterized by deletion analysis in Mycobacterium smegmatis . Two transcription initiation points were mapped in Mycobacterium bovis BCG by primer extension analysis to 76 bp and 87 bp upstream of the ATG initiation codon. Putative -10 and -35 promoter consensus sequences associated with these showed 66% similarity to previously identified mycobacterial promoters. These results suggest that the P27 / P55 operon is transcribed from two promoters in M. bovis BCG.
Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis , Mycobacterium bovis , promoter, operon, lipoprotein