Attenuation of virulence by disruption of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis erp gene.
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-Guérin 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.
Berthet
F X
FX
Unité de Génétique Mycobactérienne, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cédex 15, France.
Lagranderie
M
M
Gounon
P
P
Laurent-Winter
C
C
Ensergueix
D
D
Chavarot
P
P
Thouron
F
F
Maranghi
E
E
Pelicic
V
V
Portnoï
D
D
Marchal
G
G
Gicquel
B
B
D000818:Animals; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009154:Mutation; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000382:microbiology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
D001500:BCG Vaccine; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C096737:ERP protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated