流式细胞术检测胞内重组耻垢分枝杆菌的活力研究

目的建立一种快速检测胞内分枝杆菌活力的方法。方法将一定量培养至对数生长期的含pMV-eis的重组耻垢分枝杆菌感染U937巨噬细胞,以含空质粒的耻垢分枝杆菌为对照,吞噬作用2 h后洗去胞外细菌,再分别培养4、12、24和48 h后收集细胞并裂解之。获得的胞内细菌用FDA荧光染料染色后用流式细胞仪检测死亡率,并与平板菌落计数法进行比较。结果流式细胞仪检测出感染12 h后重组耻垢分枝杆菌胞内死亡率较对照组均有显著下降（P〈0.05）,流式细胞仪检测法与平板菌落计数法相比差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）。结论流式细胞术与传统的平板计数法相比具有快速、敏感、方便的特点,可用于分枝杆菌活菌快速检测。     

表达HBHA和hIL-12融合蛋白的重组耻垢分枝杆菌在小鼠体内诱导的免疫应答及保护力

目的:测定表达肝素结合血凝素(HBHA)和人白细胞介素12(hIL-12)融合蛋白的重组耻垢分枝杆菌在小鼠体内诱导产生的免疫应答及对结核分枝杆菌感染的保护作用。方法:将表达HBHA和hIL-12融合蛋白的重组耻垢分枝杆菌采用同源加强免疫的方法免疫小鼠,检测小鼠外周血中IFN-γ、IL-2和IL-12的表达水平;用结核分枝杆菌感染免疫小鼠,检测小鼠肺部荷菌量和组织病理变化。结果:表达HBHA和hIL-12融合蛋白的重组耻垢分枝杆菌诱导小鼠产生以IFN-γ、IL-2分泌量增加为主的Th1型免疫应答,并能有效减少感染小鼠肺部结核分枝杆菌的荷菌量和病理损伤。结论:表达HBHA和hIL-12融合蛋白的重组耻垢分枝杆菌免疫小鼠可诱导产生与卡介苗相当的保护作用,可能成为控制结核病的有效疫苗。     

重组分枝杆菌噬菌体检测分枝杆菌的发光研究

采用生物发光方法检测重组的分支杆菌噬菌体对不同细菌的发光反应,并比较了仅在特定的温度范围内才能繁殖的温敏噬菌体Phage 88和正常噬菌体Phage 40对分枝杆菌感染活力测定时发光强度的差异,以建立用不同类型重组噬菌体检测结核分枝杆菌耐药性的方法和条件.结果显示两种噬菌体对各种分枝杆菌作用后均有发光,对非分枝杆菌发光值很低,两者差异有显著性;不同的分枝杆菌发光值有差异：卡介苗的发光值最高,结核分枝杆菌的发光值最低;温敏噬菌体Phage 88的检测灵敏度大于正常噬菌体Phage 40,差异显著.因此可认为两株噬菌体均可特异地检测结核分枝杆菌,但Phage 88的效果优于Phage 40.     

利用无传染性耻垢分枝杆菌建立小鼠结核病模型的探索

目的:利用耻垢分枝杆菌(M.smegmatismc2155)建立C57BL/6小鼠结核病模型。方法:每天以高剂量(5×107CFU)耻垢分枝杆菌给C57BL/6小鼠腹腔注射,连续感染4周,检测耻垢分枝杆菌对小鼠的致病性。分别于2周和4周处死小鼠,无菌条件下解剖小鼠取肺、脾脏组织匀浆,进行组织内细菌活力检测;通过嗜酸性染色进行分枝杆菌的鉴定;同时进行病理切片的制备,观察肺和脾脏组织的病理变化;最后进行菌体DNA的提取和基因检测,根据上述指标确定小鼠结核病模型的建立是否成功。结果:腹腔感染小鼠2周后,模型组小鼠只有脾脏组织匀浆液出现抗酸染色阳性菌落,肺部组织未见阳性菌落。腹腔感染小鼠4周后,模型组小鼠肺、脾脏组织匀浆液中均可见大量抗酸染色阳性的菌落;组织病理学观察结果显示:小鼠肺组织主要表现为以中性粒细胞为主的炎性病变;基因检测结果表明:模型组小鼠肺组织匀浆液中可检测到耻垢分枝杆菌特异性3-磷酸甘油醛脱氢酶(gap)基因,而脾脏组织未扩增出耻垢分枝杆菌特异性基因。结论:通过腹腔注射无致病性耻垢分枝杆菌方法,成功建立C57BL/6小鼠结核病发生模型,为结核分枝杆菌与宿主相互作用研究提供安全的疾病模型。     

结核杆菌eis基因的克隆及其在耻垢分枝杆菌中的表达

目的:构建结核分枝杆菌eis基因的穿梭表达载体,鉴定其在重组耻垢分枝杆菌中的生物活性。方法:采用PCR技术克隆结核分枝杆菌eis基因,构建大肠杆菌-分枝杆菌穿梭表达载体pMV-eis,经酶切和测序鉴定其正确性,用电穿孔法将重组质粒转化至耻垢分枝杆菌mc²155中,采用SDS-PAGE和Western blot检测eis基因在耻垢分枝杆菌中的表达。结果:成功构建结核杆菌eis基因穿梭表达载体pMV-eis;生长曲线说明重组质粒不会影响耻垢分枝杆菌的体外生长;SDS-PAGE 和Western blot检测证实eis在耻垢分枝杆菌中可表达出相对分子量约42kDa的Eis蛋白。结论:成功构建了eis基因穿梭表达质粒pMV-eis,且该重组质粒在耻垢分枝杆菌中具有生物活性,为下一步研究表达产物Eis的功能奠定了一定基础。     

耻垢分枝杆菌在感染与免疫研究中的应用

耻垢分枝杆菌属革兰阳性腐生菌,具有快速生长,无致病性,与结核分枝杆菌基因高度同源、细胞结构相似等特点,较多应用于分枝杆菌感染及相关免疫学研究,是一种相对理想的实验模型。同时,其在非分枝杆菌感染及其他相关免疫研究中也有拓展性的应用。本文就耻垢分枝杆菌在感染与免疫研究中的应用现状进行综述。     

胞壁表达HSP65-IL-2融合蛋白的重组耻垢分枝杆菌的构建和鉴定

目的：获得胞壁表达结核分枝杆菌热激蛋白65（HSP65）和人白细胞介素2（IL-2）融合蛋白的重组耻垢分枝杆菌。方法：将HSP65和IL-2融合基因克隆入大肠杆菌-卡介苗（E．coli-BCG）穿梭质粒pCW，构建成重组质粒HSP65-IL-2-pCW，电穿入耻垢分枝杆菌，经潮霉素抗性筛选和PCR方法选取阳性克隆；用间接免疫荧光法对重组耻垢分枝杆菌进行表型鉴定；用重组耻垢分枝杆菌免疫BALB／c小鼠，检测其诱导的抗体水平。结果：筛选获得的重组耻垢分枝杆菌增殖特性与普通耻垢分枝杆菌无明显区别；与抗人的IL-2抗体和HSP65抗体均可形成免疫印迹条带；间接荧光染色后，可见细菌表面有极强的绿色荧光；重组耻垢分枝杆菌免疫BALB／c小鼠2周后，小鼠血清中HSP65抗体平均滴度为1：4000，而生理盐水组的抗体几乎为阴性。结论：结核分枝杆菌HSP65和人IL-2融合基因在耻垢分枝杆菌胞壁获得表达，有望为结核病的预防提供有效的疫苗。     

应用多重PCR方法检测石蜡包埋组织标本中的分枝杆菌DNA

应用多重PCR方法检测并鉴别石蜡包埋组织中的结核分枝杆菌复合体与非结核分枝杆菌DNA扩增片段类型 ,为结核分枝杆菌复合体感染与非结核分枝杆菌感染的病理学诊断提供一种补充的鉴别诊断方法。应用三对具有特异性的寡核苷酸引物 ,进行多重PCR扩增。这三对引物分别对应于分枝杆菌 6 5kD表面抗原、结核分枝杆菌插入序列IS6 1 1 0及人类β 珠蛋白基因的部分序列 ,其扩增产物分别为 3 83bp、1 2 3bp和 2 6 8bp。此种多重PCR方法检测的灵敏度为 0 6pg。经多重PCR扩增后进行凝胶电泳 ,结核分枝杆菌复合体 (结核分枝杆菌、牛型结核分枝杆菌、BCG)均可见 3 83bp、1 2 3bp片段 ,而非结核分枝杆菌 (鸟、龟、瘰疬、蟾蜍、堪萨斯、胞内、耻垢分枝杆菌 )仅见 3 83bp片段 (猿猴分枝杆菌与结核分枝杆菌复合体相同 )。与上述相比 ,分枝杆菌感染的临床标本分别增加了一条 2 6 8bp片段。对 2 0 9例临床初步诊断为淋巴结结核病人的石蜡包埋组织标本进行了多重PCR检测 ,1 93例病理诊断为淋巴结结核、结核性肉芽组织、结核性肉芽肿性炎症病人的标本 ,检测结果符合结核分枝杆菌复合体感…     

结核杆菌DnaA蛋白在耻垢分枝杆菌中的同源表达

目的:在耻垢分枝杆菌中表达重组结核杆菌DnaA蛋白并对表达产物进行鉴定。方法:用PCR的方法扩增结核杆菌dnaA基因并克隆至表达载体pMF406中,构建重组大肠杆菌-分枝杆菌穿梭质粒pMF-dnaA。经双酶切及测序鉴定后,用电转化的方法将重组质粒转至耻垢分枝杆菌mc2155中。用0.02%乙酰胺诱导重组耻垢分枝杆菌,对表达产物进行SDS-PAGE和Western blotting检测和鉴定。结果:重组耻垢分枝杆菌构建成功,SDS-PAGE及Western blotting结果显示该重组耻垢杆菌可以实现结核杆菌DnaA蛋白的同源高效表达。结论:结核杆菌DnaA蛋白的同源表达为结核杆菌DNA复制机制的研究奠定了基础。     

表达绿色荧光蛋白的重组耻垢分枝杆菌的构建

目的 建立可表达绿色荧光蛋白的耻垢分枝杆菌,便于对耻垢分枝杆菌进行直观检测和快速定量。方法利用PCR技术从真核表达质粒pLVTH扩增获得绿色荧光蛋白的编码基因,克隆人大肠埃希菌一分枝杆菌穿梭载体pMV261,建立重组质粒pMVGFP,并经酶切鉴定证实。利用电穿孔技术将pMVGFP转化入耻垢分枝杆菌,利用卡那霉素抗性筛选重组耻垢分枝杆菌克隆,扩大培养后直接涂片,荧光显微镜镜检。结果重组质粒pMVGFP构建正确;将重组耻垢分枝杆菌在荧光显微镜下观察,证实绿色荧光蛋白在重组耻垢分枝杆菌中的表达。结论自发释放荧光的重组耻垢分枝杆菌的成功建立,为研究结核病致病机制和快速筛选化学药物等奠定了基础。     

Mycobacteriophage L5 infection of Mycobacterium bovis BCG: implications for phage genetics in the slow-growing mycobacteria

Mycobacteriophage L5 is a well-characterized temperate phage that forms stable lysogens in Mycobacterium smegmatis . The host range of L5 is, however, unclear because previous reports suggested that it does not infect slow-growing mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Moreover, luciferase reporter phage derivatives of L5 failed to produce light from BCG, suggesting that infection is blocked at or before the stage of DNA injection. In this study, we demonstrate that L5 infection of slow growing mycobacteria specifically requires a high concentration of Ca²⁺, conditions that differs from those required for infection of M. smegmatis by L5 and for infection of BCG by the closely related phage D29. In addition, we show that there are specific genetic determinants of L5 that confer the ability to infect slow growing mycobacteria, without altering infection of M. smegmatis . These observations extend the use of phage L5 for the diagnosis and analysis of tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases.     

Changed activation of HIV-1 LTR in monocytoid cells by mycobacteria with temporal progression of infection

Coincubation of monocytoid cell line U937 cells cotransfected with HIV-1 LTR CAT plasmid and Tat expression plasmid, with Mycobacterium smegmatis, M. avium, M. bovis BCG and M. tuberculosis enhanced chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) production, indicating that these mycobacteria could activate the LTR in this cell line. The amount of CAT in the cells coincubated with M. smegmatis was higher than that infected with the other mycobacteria after 12, 24 and 48 hour time periods. However, the amount of CAT production in the cells cocultured with M. tuberculosis was higher than those coincubated with the other mycobacteria at 72 hours. These findings indicated that avirulent mycobacteria such as M. smegmatis may activate HIV replication at an early time and its effects are gradually decreased, while the effect of virulent M. tuberculosis increased gradually, and lasted for a long time resulting in an acceleration of HIV disease in patients.     

Transformation of Mycobacterium smegmatis with Escherichia coii plasmids carrying a selectable resistance marker

One limiting factor in studies of tuberculosis and leprosy is the difficulty of genetic analysis and manipulation of mycobacteria. Two approaches were adopted for the construction of vectors, based on different Escherichia coli plasmids and using Mycobacterium smegmatis as the host. In both cases we found that the original E. coli plasmid is capable of being replicated in M. smegmatis, yielding chloramphenicol-resistant colonies. One such plasmid has been recovered from a M. smegmatis transformant and used to re-transform both M. smegmatis and E. coli to chloramphenicol resistance. This plasmid is indistinguishable from the original plasmid by restriction analysis, and can be used as a shuttle vector for the genetic manipulation of mycobacterial species.     

Effect of lysozyme on mycobacteria

The effect of lysozyme on the growth of several strains of mycobacteria was examined at pH 5.0-7.0 in Dubos medium containing various concentrations of lysozyme (100-2,000 microgram/ml). Mycobacterium smegmatis and M. phlei were susceptible to lysozyme at pH 5.0-7.0. The effect of lysozyme was marked between pH 6.0 and 7.0 and the colony counts were reduced to approximately 0.1-10% after incubation with 100 micrograms of lysozyme per ml for 48 hr. At pH 5.0, 10-40% of the organisms survived treatment with 1,000 micrograms of lysozyme per ml for 48 hr. M. bovis strain BCG, M. tuberculosis, and M. fortuitum appeared to be more resistant to lysozyme than M. smegmatis and M. phlei. M. smegmatis and M. phlei did not contain detectable amounts of poly-L-glutamic acid, although the susceptibility of the mycobacteria to lysozyme did not correlate with the amounts of the polymer in the cell walls. The role of lysozyme in animal infections with so-called saprophytic mycobacteria is discussed.     

Deoxyribonucleic acid methylation in mycobacteria.

Deoxyribonucleic acid modification in six strains of mycobacteria was investigated. The presence of 5-methylcytosine in the virulent strain Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and its absence in the avirulent strain M. tuberculosis H37Ra and other saprophytic, fast-growing mycobacteria appear to be the salient features. However, deoxyribonucleic acid from M. smegmatis SN2 lysogenized with the temperature phage I3 showed the presence of 5-methylcytosine. All of the strains had N6-methyladenine.     

Decreased outer membrane permeability protects mycobacteria from killing by ubiquitin-derived peptides

Ubiquitin-derived peptides are bactericidal in vitro and contribute to the mycobactericidal activity of the lysosome. To further define interactions of ubiquitin-derived peptides with mycobacteria, we screened for mutants with increased resistance to the bactericidal activity of the synthetic ubiquitin-derived peptide Ub2. The four Ub2-resistant Mycobacterium smegmatis mutants were also resistant to the bactericidal action of other antimicrobial peptides and macrophages. Two mutants were in the mspA gene encoding the main M. smegmatis porin. Using a translocation-deficient MspA point mutant, we showed that susceptibility of M. smegmatis to Ub2 was independent of MspA channel activity. Instead, the M. smegmatis Ub2-resistant mutants shared a common phenotype of decreased cell wall permeability compared with wild-type bacteria. Expression of mspA rendered Mycobacterium tuberculosis CDC1551 more susceptible both to ubiquitin-derived peptides in vitro and to lysosomal killing in macrophages. Finally, biochemical assays designed to assess membrane integrity indicated that Ub2 treatment impairs membrane function of M. smegmatis and M. tuberculosis cells . The M. smegmatis Ub2-resistant mutants were more resistant than wild-type M. smegmatis to this damage. We conclude that Ub2 targets mycobacterial membranes and that reduced membrane permeability provides mycobacteria intrinsic resistance against antimicrobial compounds including bactericidal ubiquitin-derived peptides.     

The Influence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Sigma Factors on the Promotion Efficiency of ptpAt Promoter in Mycobacterium smegmatis

It was found in a previous study that Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein tyrosine phosphatase ptpAt promoter is a highly active promoter in slow-growing species of mycobacteria, such as M. tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG, but inert in fast-growing mycobacterial species, such as M. smegmatis. This difference is presumed to be due to the differences between sigma factors systems of slow-growing pathogenic mycobacteria and the fast-growing saprophyte M. smegmatis. Therefore, we constructed a series of plasmids, named pOLYG-13x, which can express various M. tuberculosis sigma factors and also contain a P(ptpAt)-gfp reporter gene construct. By inducing different sigma factor genes of M. tuberculosis in M. smegmatis, we were able to explore the influences of various sigma factors on the expression efficiency of the ptpAt promoter. The result show that of the 10 sigma factors evaluated, only sigF and sigL were able to weakly drive the ptpAt promoter in M. smegmatis and other sigma factors were unable to drive the promoter.     

Comparison of mammalian cell entry operons of mycobacteria: in silico analysis and expression profiling

Mammalian cell entry (mce) operons, implicated in the entry of mycobacteria into host cells, are present in pathogenic and saprophytic species. It is likely that the genes in these operons have functions other than those required for entry into host cells. Using in silico analysis we have identified domains within the mce operons that might justify their occurrence in saprophytic species like Mycobacterium smegmatis. Our analysis identified in addition to the mce domain, the presence of the Ttg2B and Ttg2C domains, typical of proteins involved in transport. We have also analysed and compared the expression profile between mce operons of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis and M. smegmatis under different growth conditions. In case of M. smegmatis, each operon presented domain truncation for at least one gene. We observe differential expression among the operons in M. smegmatis growing under different culture conditions. Bacilli growing in nutritionally rich medium with aeration, only the mce4 operon was expressed while during stationary phase of a standing culture, all four mce operons were expressed. In M. bovis, in addition to the absence of the mce3 operon, several protein domains encoded by the other operons were truncated. We detected expression of the mce2 operon in the exponential and stationary growth phase, while the mce1 operon was only expressed in the stationary growth phase. Differential expression of mce operons and their redundancy in the genome of the majority members of mycobacteria are discussed in view of our results.