Regulation of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis PE/PPE genes

• Published in: Tuberculosis (Edinburgh, Scotland) Vol. 84; no. 3; pp. 256 - 262
• Main Authors: Voskuil, M.I., Schnappinger, D., Rutherford, R., Liu, Y., Schoolnik, G.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Scotland Elsevier Ltd 2004
• Subjects: Antigenic Variation - genetics; Antigens, Bacterial - genetics; Antigens, Bacterial - metabolism; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Gene Expression Profiling - methods; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial - immunology; Genes, Bacterial; In Vitro Techniques; Microarray; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - genetics; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - immunology; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - metabolism; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis - methods; PPE; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; PPE; Microarray; PE
• ISSN: 1472-9792; 1873-281X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2003.12.014

The genome of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes approximately 170 members of the unique mycobacterial PE and PPE gene families. Evidence suggests members of these families are surface-associated cell wall proteins that may provide a diverse antigenic profile and affect immunity. To determine if the expression patterns of PE/PPE genes are consistent with a role in antigenic variability, we analyzed microarray data from 132 experimental conditions for expression of PE/PPE genes. Whole genome expression patterns show that the PE/PPE genes are regulated in a variable and largely independent manner. Gene expression profiling of 15 unique conditions identified differential regulation of 128 of the 169 PE/PPE genes. Expression of the PE/PPE genes appears to be controlled by a variety of independent mechanisms. These data indicate that differential expression of the PE/PPE genes has the potential to provide a dynamic antigenic profile during the course of changing microenvironments within the host.