Regulation of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis PE/PPE genes.
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.
Voskuil
M I
MI
Department of Microbiology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262, USA. martin.voskuil@uchsc.edu
Schnappinger
D
D
Rutherford
R
R
Liu
Y
Y
Schoolnik
G K
GK
D000940:Antigenic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial