Mycobacterium tuberculosis DosR regulon gene Rv0079 encodes a putative, 'dormancy associated translation inhibitor (DATIN)'.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major human pathogen that has evolved survival mechanisms to persist in an immune-competent host under a dormant condition. The regulation of M. tuberculosis metabolism during latent infection is not clearly known. The dormancy survival regulon (DosR regulon) is chiefly responsible for encoding dormancy related functions of M. tuberculosis. We describe functional characterization of an important gene of DosR regulon, Rv0079, which appears to be involved in the regulation of translation through the interaction of its product with bacterial ribosomal subunits. The protein encoded by Rv0079, possibly, has an inhibitory role with respect to protein synthesis, as revealed by our experiments. We performed computational modelling and docking simulation studies involving the protein encoded by Rv0079 followed by in vitro translation and growth curve analysis experiments, involving recombinant E. coli and Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) strains that overexpressed Rv0079. Our observations concerning the interaction of the protein with the ribosomes are supportive of its role in regulation/inhibition of translation. We propose that the protein encoded by locus Rv0079 is a 'dormancy associated translation inhibitor' or DATIN.
Pathogen Biology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.
Ashutosh
A
Kumar
Mohammad
M
Majid
Ralph
R
Kunisch
Pittu Sandhya
PS
Rani
Insaf A
IA
Qureshi
Astrid
A
Lewin
Seyed E
SE
Hasnain
Niyaz
N
Ahmed
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D018085:Regulon
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C542863:DosR protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D011494:Protein Kinases