结核分枝杆菌中毒素-抗毒素系统的鉴定

【目的】鉴定结核分枝杆菌基因组上MazF同源蛋白基因与其上游基因是否组成毒素-抗毒素系统,阐明毒素蛋白的作用机理,并初步探讨毒素-抗毒素系统在营养缺乏时的表达调控。【方法】在大肠杆菌和耻垢分枝杆菌中将MazF同源蛋白单独表达或与其对应的抗毒素蛋白共同表达,鉴定MazF同源蛋白对细菌生长的抑制作用以及其对应的抗毒素蛋白能否消除这种生长抑制;通过体外RNA切割实验,检测MazF同源蛋白是否具有RNA切割活性;检测正常生长条件下和饥饿条件下毒素-抗毒素系统的启动子活性,探讨其在应激条件下的表达调控。【结果】结核分枝杆菌MazF同源蛋白中,Rv0659c、Rv1495和Rv1942c不具有抑制细菌生长的毒素蛋白活性,Rv1991c、Rv2801c、Rv1102c和mtPemK能够抑制细菌生长,而且它们的抑制作用可以分别被其对应的抗毒素Rv1991a、Rv2801a、Rv1103c和mtPemI解除。Rv1991c、Rv2801c和Rv1102c具有RNA切割活性,mtPemK则不能切割RNA。Rv1991a-1991c和Rv2801a-2801c系统的启动子在饥饿条件下活性显著升高。【结论】结核分枝杆菌基因组上Rv1991a-1991c、Rv2801a-2801c、Rv1103c-1102c和mtPemI-mtPemK是毒素-抗毒素系统。毒素蛋白Rv1991c、Rv2801c和Rv1102c通过切割RNA发挥抑菌或杀菌活性,mtPemK具体作用机理目前还不清楚。Rv1991a-1991c和Rv2801a-2801c系统可能参与结核分枝杆菌在营养匮乏条件下的生长调控。     

Structural insights into DarT toxin neutralization by cognate DarG antitoxin: ssDNA mimicry by DarG C-terminal domain keeps the DarT toxin inhibited

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Disruption of response regulator gene, devR, leads to attenuation in virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The devR-devS two-component system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified earlier and partially characterized in our laboratory. A devR::kan mutant of M. tuberculosis was constructed by allelic exchange. The devR mutant strain showed reduced cell-to-cell adherence in comparison to the parental strain in laboratory culture media. This phenotype was reversed on complementation with a wild-type copy of devR. The devR mutant and parental strains grew at equivalent rates within human monocytes either in the absence or in the presence of lymphocytic cells. The expression of DevR was not modulated upon entry of M. tuberculosis into human monocytes. However, guinea pigs infected with the mutant strain showed a significant decrease in gross lesions in lung, liver and spleen; only mild pathological changes in liver and lung; and a nearly 3 log lower bacterial burden in spleen compared to guinea pigs infected with the parental strain. Our results suggest that DevR is required for virulence in guinea pigs but is not essential for entry, survival and multiplication of M. tuberculosis within human monocytes in vitro. The attenuation in virulence of the devR mutant in guinea pigs together with DevR-DevS being a bona fide signal transduction system indicates that DevR plays a critical and regulatory role in the adaptation and survival of M. tuberculosis within tissues.     

结核分枝杆菌耐吡嗪酰胺分子机制研究

吡嗪酰胺(PZA)是结核病短程化疗中的一线抗结核药物,由吡嗪酰胺酶转换成为活性形式吡嗪酸而生效。吡嗪酰胺酶由pncA基因编码,pncA基因突变会导致该酶活性丧失,与PZA耐药性产生有关。为了进一步明确PZA耐药性产生的基因学基础和PZA耐药株的pncA基因突变率,对中国100株结核分枝杆菌临床分离株进行了DNA序列测定,其中85株为PZA耐药株,15株为PZA敏感株。PZA耐药株有27%(23/85)发生了pncA基因突变,从而导致吡嗪酰胺酶基本氨基酸序列的改变,突变分布在pncA基因开读框架17-546位的核苷酸。其中有一株突变位于pncA基因的调节区域-11位处。同时发现20%(3/15)pncA敏感株也发生了pncA基因突变。敏感株发生突变可能是由于PZA敏感性实验不准确或存在其它耐药机制。实验表明,pncA基因突变是PZA耐药的主要机制之一,中国PZA耐药临床分离株尚存在其它耐药分子机制。     

结核分枝杆菌耐氟喹诺酮类药物的分子机制研究进展

结核病是由结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis)通过空气传播引起人类感染的慢性传染病,耐药结核分枝杆菌的流行是目前结核病防治的世界难题。氟喹诺酮类药物是人工合成药物,应用于耐药结核的临床治疗中,在治疗中起着核心的作用。但近年来,氟喹诺酮类药物的抗性菌株不断出现,愈发增加了结核病治疗的困难与治疗失败风险。在临床中氟喹诺酮药物的靶点比较清楚,是结核分枝杆菌的DNA旋转酶。目前发现结核分枝杆菌耐氟喹诺酮类药物的机制主要包括药物靶点DNA旋转酶的关键氨基酸改变、药物外排泵系统、细菌细胞壁厚度的增加以及喹诺酮抗性蛋白MfpA介导的DNA旋转酶活性调控。其中在氟喹诺酮靶标DNA旋转酶功能活性改变的耐药机制方面,编码DNA旋转酶基因突变一直是研究的热点,但近年来发现DNA旋转酶的调控蛋白MfpA以及DNA旋转酶的修饰在细菌耐药性中起着重要的作用,相关机制还亟待发现。本文综述了当前结核分枝杆菌耐氟喹诺酮类药物的作用机制,旨在为研发精准诊断技术和药物发掘提供科学理论基础和参考。     

Killing activity and rescue function of genome-wide toxin–antitoxin loci of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Toxin–antitoxin (TA) loci are typically two-component systems that encode a stable toxin, which binds an essential host target leading to cell growth arrest and/or cell death, and an unstable antitoxin, which prevents the cytotoxic activity of the toxin. The ubiquitous presence of these loci in bacterial genomes, along with their demonstrated toxicity not only in the native but also in heterologous systems, has provided the possibility of their use in wide-spectrum antibacterials. Mycobacterium tuberculosis contains nearly 40 TA loci, most of which are yet to be characterized. Here we report the heterologous toxicity of these TA loci in Escherichia coli and show that only a few of the M. tuberculosis -encoded toxins can inhibit E. coli growth and have a killing effect. This killing effect can be suppressed by coexpression of the cognate antitoxin. This work has identified functional TA pairs for sequences that are presently unannotated in the mycobacterial genome. These toxins need to be further tested for their activity in the native host and other organism backgrounds and growth environments for utilization of their antibacterial potential.     

Tuberculosis patients co-infected with Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in an urban area of Brazil

In this cross-sectional study, mycobacteria specimens from 189 tuberculosis (TB) patients living in an urban area in Brazil were characterised from 2008-2010 using phenotypic and molecular speciation methods (pncA gene and oxyR pseudogene analysis). Of these samples, 174 isolates simultaneously grew on Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) and Stonebrink (SB)-containing media and presented phenotypic and molecular profiles of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, whereas 12 had molecular profiles of M. tuberculosis based on the DNA analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin wax-embedded tissue samples (paraffin blocks). One patient produced two sputum isolates, the first of which simultaneously grew on LJ and SB media and presented phenotypic and molecular profiles of M. tuberculosis, and the second of which only grew on SB media and presented phenotypic profiles of Mycobacterium bovis. One patient provided a bronchial lavage isolate, which simultaneously grew on LJ and SB media and presented phenotypic and molecular profiles of M. tuberculosis, but had molecular profiles of M. bovis from paraffin block DNA analysis, and one sample had molecular profiles of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis identified from two distinct paraffin blocks. Moreover, we found a low prevalence (1.6%) of M. bovis among these isolates, which suggests that local health service procedures likely underestimate its real frequency and that it deserves more attention from public health officials.     

Crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis YefM antitoxin reveals that it is not an intrinsically unstructured protein

Toxin-antitoxin modules are present on chromosomes of almost all free-living prokaryotes. Some are implicated to act as stress-responsive elements, among their many functional roles. The YefM-YoeB toxin-antitoxin system is present in many bacterial species, where YefM belongs to the Phd family antidote of phage P1, whereas YoeB is a homolog of the RelE toxin of the RelBE system, rather than the Doc system of phage P1. YoeB, a ribonuclease, is believed to be conformationally stable, whereas YefM has been proposed to be a member of intrinsically disordered proteins. The ribonucleolytic activity of YoeB is neutralized by YefM upon formation of the YefM-YoeB complex. We report here the crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis YefM from two crystal isoforms. Our crystallographic and biophysical studies reveal that YefM is not an intrinsically unfolded protein and instead forms a well-defined structure with significant secondary and tertiary structure conformations. The residues involved in core formation of the folded structure are evolutionarily conserved among many bacterial species, supporting our observation. The C-terminal end of its polypeptide is highly pliable, which adopts different conformations in different monomers. Since at the physiological level YefM controls the activity of YoeB through intricate protein-protein interactions, the conformational heterogeneity in YefM revealed by our structure suggests that these might act a master switch in controlling YoeB activity.     

Mycobacterium tuberculosis mammalian cell entry operon (mce) homologs in Mycobacterium other than tuberculosis (MOTT)

The cloned mammalian cell entry gene mce1a from Mycobacterium tuberculosis confers to non-pathogenic Escherichia coli the ability to invade and survive inside macrophages and HeLa cells. The aim of this work was to search for and characterize homologs of the four M. tuberculosis mammalian cell entry operons (mce1, mce2, mce3 and mce4) in mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT). The dot-blot and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments performed on 24 clinical isolates representing 20 different mycobacterial species indicated that the mce operons were widely distributed throughout the genus Mycobacterium. BLAST search results showed the presence of mce1, mce2 and mce4 homologs in Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium smegmatis. A homologous region for the mce3 operon was also found in M. avium and M. smegmatis. DNA and protein alignments were done to compare the M. tuberculosis mce operons and the deduced M. bovis, M. avium, and M. smegmatis homologs. The deduced proteins of M. bovis mce1, mce2 and mce4 operons had 99.6-100% homology with the respective M. tuberculosis mce proteins (MTmce). The similarity between M. avium mce proteins and the individual M. tuberculosis homologs ranged from 56.2 to 85.5%. The alignment results between M. smegmatis mce proteins and the respective MTmce proteins ranged from 58.5% to 68.5%. Primer sets were designed from the M. tuberculosis mce4a gene for amplification of 379-bp fragments. Amplification was successful in 14 strains representing 11 different mycobacterial species. The PCR fragments were sequenced from 10 strains representing eight species. Alignment of the sequenced PCR products showed that mce4a homologs are highly conserved in the genus Mycobacterium. In conclusions, the four mce operons in different mycobacterial species are generally organized in the same manner. The phylogenetic tree comparing the different mce operons showed that the mce1 operon was closely related to the mce2 operon and mce3 diverged from the other operons. The wide distribution of the mce operons in pathogenic and non-pathogenic mycobacteria implicates that the presence of these putative virulence genes is not an indicator for the pathogenicity of the bacilli. Instead, the pathogenicity of these factors might be determined by their expression.     

结核分枝杆菌对宿主巨噬细胞死亡方式的调控

结核分枝杆菌（Mycobacterium tuberculosis,Mtb）感染后能抑制宿主巨噬细胞（M西）的免疫反应,并在其中生存、复制。研究表明Mtb减毒株感染主要诱导宿主Mφ凋亡,凋亡能抑制胞内Mtb的活力;而Mtb毒力株感染能抑制凋亡的完成,诱导Mφ坏死,最终导致Mtb扩散、感染临近细胞。通过对Mtb感染诱导宿主Mφ不同死亡方式的讨论,进一步认识Mtb的致病机制。     

Cytokine profiles in tuberculosis patients and healthy subjects in response to complex and single antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from tuberculosis (TB) patients and Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccinated healthy subjects. PBMC were tested for secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-5 (IL-5) and IL-10 in response to complex (whole cells, culture filtrate and cell walls), single secreted (Ag85B, ESAT6, MPT64, PstS and MPT70) and single cytosolic (DnaK, GroES and GroEL) antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the absence of antigens, detectable concentrations of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-10 were secreted by PBMC of both donor groups, but the concentrations of only IL-10 were significantly higher (P=0.015) in TB patients than in healthy subjects. In the presence of complex antigens, PBMC secreted IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in response to all three preparations, whereas IL-10 was secreted in response to whole cells and cell walls only. In the presence of single antigens, IFN-gamma was secreted in response to Ag85B, ESAT6 and MPT64 in TB patients and ESAT6 in healthy donors. Except for GroEL and DnaK, single antigens did not induce TNF-alpha and IL-10 secretion from PBMC in either donor group. The secretion of IFN-gamma, but not IL-10, in the presence of Ag85B, ESAT6 and MPT64 supports their potential as subunit vaccine candidates against TB.     

中性粒细胞在抗结核免疫中的作用

结核病是世界范围内的重要传染性疾病之一,严重威胁人类健康。免疫细胞在抗结核免疫过程中起重要作用,各细胞亚群通过不同作用机制影响结核病的病程及转归。中性粒细胞为机体应对结核分枝杆菌感染的第一道防线,在宿主免疫应答过程中是一把双刃剑。一方面,机体感染结核分枝杆菌后,中性粒细胞于第一时间向感染部位聚集,通过多种方式对抗感染：中性粒细胞吞噬结核分枝杆菌后,通过自身凋亡而杀菌;参与形成肉芽肿,形成胞外陷阱来限制结核分枝杆菌的生长和传播;产生功能性细胞因子,调控宿主的抗结核免疫反应。另一方面,中性粒细胞还参与机体的病理损伤过程,甚至促进体内结核分枝杆菌的生长。本文综述了中性粒细胞在抗结核免疫中作用的最新研究进展。     

Improved cellular immune response elicited by a ubiquitin-fused ESAT-6 DNA vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The present study evaluated the immune response elicited by a ubiquitin-fused ESAT-6 DNA vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. BALB/c mice were vaccinated with plasmid DNA encoding ESAT-6 protein, ubiquitin-fused ESAT-6 DNA vaccine (UbGR-ESAT-6), pcDNA3-ubiquitin and blank vector, respectively. ESAT-6 DNA vaccine immunization induced a Thl-polarized immune response. The production of Thl-type cytokine (IFN-γ) and proliferative T-cell responses was enhanced significantly in mice immunized with UbGR-ESAT-6 fusion DNA vaccine, compared to non-fusion DNA vaccine. This fusion DNA vaccine also resulted in an increased relative ratio of IgG_2a to IgG_l and the cytotoxicity of T cells. Thus, the present study demonstrated that the UbGR-ESAT-6 fusion DNA vaccine inoculation improved antigen-specific cellular immune responses, which is helpful for protection against tuberculosis infection.     

Characterization of the major formamidopyrimidine–DNA glycosylase homolog in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its linkage to variable tandem repeats

The ability to repair DNA damage is likely to play an important role in the survival of facultative intracellular parasites because they are exposed to high levels of reactive oxygen species and nitrogen intermediates inside phagocytes. Correcting oxidative damage in purines and pyrimidines is the primary function of the enzymes formamidopyrimidine (faPy)–DNA glycosylase (Fpg) and endonuclease VIII (Nei) of the base excision repair pathway, respectively. Four gene homologs, belonging to the fpg/nei family, have been identified in Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. The recombinant protein encoded by M. tuberculosis Rv2924c , termed Mtb-Fpg1, was overexpressed, purified and biochemically characterized. The enzyme removed faPy and 5-hydroxycytosine lesions, as well as 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8oxoG) opposite to C, T and G. Mtb-Fpg1 thus exhibited substrate specificities typical for Fpg enzymes. Although Mtb-fpg1 showed nearly complete nucleotide sequence conservation in 32 M. tuberculosis isolates, the region upstream of Mtb-fpg1 in these strains contained tandem repeat motifs of variable length. A relationship between repeat length and Mtb-fpg1 expression level was demonstrated in M. tuberculosis strains, indicating that an increased length of the tandem repeats positively influenced the expression levels of Mtb-fpg1 . This is the first example of such a tandem repeat region of variable length being linked to the expression level of a bacterial gene.     

Polymorphisms of 20 regulatory proteins between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis are responsible for tuberculosis in humans and animals, respectively. Both species are closely related and belong to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). M. tuberculosis is the most ancient species from which M. bovis and other members of the MTC evolved. The genome of M. bovis is over >99.95% identical to that of M. tuberculosis but with seven deletions ranging in size from 1 to 12.7 kb. In addition, 1200 single nucleotide mutations in coding regions distinguish M. bovis from M. tuberculosis. In the present study, we assessed 75 M. tuberculosis genomes and 23 M. bovis genomes to identify non‐synonymous mutations in 202 coding sequences of regulatory genes between both species. We identified species‐specific variants in 20 regulatory proteins and confirmed differential expression of hypoxia‐related genes between M. bovis and M. tuberculosis.     

结核分枝杆菌重要诊断用抗原研究进展

血清学试验是结核诊断的重要依据。随着科学技术的进步,新的结核诊断用抗原不断被发现。我们简要综述了结核菌素蛋白衍生物、抗原85复合体、38kDa磷酸盐转运蛋白、6kDa早期分泌性蛋白、10kDa培养滤液蛋白、免疫性蛋白MPT64、主要分泌性免疫蛋白MPB70、表面脂蛋白MPB83等8种结核分枝杆菌重要抗原作为结核诊断用抗原的研究进展。     

Secretory proteins of Mycobacterium habana induce a protective immune response against experimental tuberculosis

The capacity of proteins of Mycobacterium habana TMC 5135 secreted into culture medium during the mid-exponential growth phase (secretory proteins, SPs) to induce protective immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv was studied in the mouse model. Mice immunized with SPs followed by a challenge with M. tuberculosis H37Rv showed lesser M. tuberculosis bacilli in their lung and spleen and survived longer than unimmunized controls. The findings suggest that SP antigens of M. habana are protective against tuberculosis infection.     

Novel use of guanidinium isothiocyanate in the isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA from clinical material

Nucleic acid amplification technologies offer great promise for the rapid, sensitive and specific diagnosis of tuberculosis. However, the isolation of inhibitor-free DNA from biological specimens is a bottleneck of the PCR assay. Here we describe a simple method for the isolation of PCR-amplifiable DNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from all types of samples of pulmonary and extrapulmonary origin tested. Briefly, it involves concentration of the bacilli by high-speed centrifugation, removal of PCR inhibitors by a wash solution containing guanidinium isothiocyanate and the release of bacterial DNA by heating in the presence of detergents and Chelex-100 resin. The entire process is accomplished within approximately 3 h. The method has been validated on 780 samples of human, bovine and guinea pig origin including sputum, cerebrospinal fluid, pulmonary fluids, pus, fine needle aspirate, tissue, blood and milk.     

Horizontal transfer of a virulence operon to the ancestor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The contribution of interspecies horizontal gene transfer (HGT) to the evolution and virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the agent of tuberculosis in humans, has been barely investigated. Here we have studied the evolutionary history of the M. tuberculosis Rv0986-8 virulence operon recently identified, through functional genomics approaches, as playing an important role in parasitism of host phagocytic cells. We showed that among actinobacteria, this operon is specific to the M. tuberculosis complex and to ancestral Mycobacterium prototuberculosis species. These data, together with phylogenetic reconstruction and other in silico analyses, provided strong evidence that this operon has been acquired horizontally by the ancestor of M. tuberculosis, before the recent evolutionary bottleneck that preceded the clonal-like evolution of the M. tuberculosis complex. Genomic signature profiling further suggested that the transfer was plasmid mediated and that the operon originated from a gamma-proteobacterium donor species. Our study points out for the first time the contribution of HGT to the emergence of M. tuberculosis and close relatives as major pathogens. In addition, our data underline the importance of deciphering gene transfer networks in M. tuberculosis in order to better understand the evolutionary mechanisms involved in mycobacterial virulence.     

Electron microscopy analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell division

The ultrastructure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cells undergoing division was examined by electron microscopy. Two features of cell division were observed and are described here. First, cells are capable of undergoing a type of "snapping" postfission movement. This movement is likely due to a multi-layered cell wall in which the inner layer participates in septum formation while the outer layer ruptures first on one side. A second feature related to cell division is the ability of dividing cells to form transient branching structures.