Attenuation of Virulence by Disruption of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis erp Gene

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 282; no. 5389; pp. 759 - 762
• Main Authors: Berthet, Francois-Xavier, Lagranderie, Micheline, Gounon, Pierre, Laurent-Winter, Christine, Ensergueix, Danielle, Chavarot, Pierre, Thouron, Francoise, Maranghi, Eddie, Pelicic, Vladimir, Portnoï, Denis, Marchal, Gilles, Gicquel, Brigitte
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 23-10-1998; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: Animals; Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins; Bacterial Proteins - analysis; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - physiology; Bacteriology; BCG Vaccine; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Line; Communicable Diseases; Fractions; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Genes, Bacterial; Genetic Complementation Test; Genetics; Immunohistochemistry; Life Sciences; Lung; Lung - microbiology; Lungs; Macrophages; Macrophages - microbiology; Medical research; Membrane Proteins; Membrane Proteins - analysis; Membrane Proteins - genetics; Membrane Proteins - physiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbiology; Microbiology and Parasitology; Mutation; Mycobacterium bovis; Mycobacterium bovis - genetics; Mycobacterium bovis - growth & development; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - genetics; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - growth & development; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - metabolism; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - pathogenicity; Phagosomes; Phagosomes - microbiology; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Roux; Spleen; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis - microbiology; Tuberculosis vaccine; Vaccines, Attenuated; Virulence; Virulence - genetics; Microorganism growth; Gene; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacteriales; Virulence; Mycobacteriaceae; Bacteria; Genetics; Actinomycetes; Mutation; Gene expression
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.282.5389.759

The virulence of the mycobacteria that cause tuberculosis depends on their ability to multiply in mammalian hosts. Disruption of the bacterial erp gene, which encodes the exported repetitive protein, impaired multiplication of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin in cultured macrophages and mice. Reintroduction of erp into the mutants restored their ability to multiply. These results indicate that erp contributes to the virulence of M. tuberculosis.