Carmen Pheiffer, Joanna Betts, Pauline Lukey, Paul van Helden
Protein Expression in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Differs with Growth Stage and Strain Type
Different phenotypes are displayed by Mycobacterium
tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) strains, fuelling speculation
that certain strains are “hypervirulent” and able
to evade host defenses better than others. Furthermore,
differential antigen expression by M. tuberculosis
strains may explain why certain patients are susceptible
to a repeat episode of tuberculosis. The
objective of this study was to compare protein expression
by M. tuberculosis H37Rv and clinical isolates in
order to determine whether differential protein expression
contributes to the different phenotypes expressed
by these strains. Expression of ?-crystallin,
the antigen 85 complex, PstS-1, L-alanine dehydrogenase
and the 65 kDa antigen was analysed by Western
blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays,
using mouse monoclonal antibodies. We found no significant
difference in the growth rate of the M. tuberculosis
strains in vitro, and although M. tuberculosis
protein expression showed phase variation during
growth, expression seemed to be qualitatively, but not
quantitatively, conserved in the strains investigated.
These results have potentially important implications
for vaccine development and serodiagnosis.
Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1434-6621
Volume: 40, 09/2002
Pages: 869 - 875
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