Abstract
BackgroundStrains of the Beijing genotype of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) are reportedly associated with the virulence of tuberculosis (TB) infection, unfavorable outcomes of anti-TB treatment, and the global TB pandemic. Rv0679c, a hypothetical membrane protein related to host cell invasion, has a Beijing genotype-specific mutation at residue 142 (Asn142Lys). Antigenicity differences between Rv0679c-Asn142 (N-type) and Rv0679c-Lys142 (K-type) have been previously observed in mice antigen-antibody responses. However, the immune response to Rv0679c in humans remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the anti-Rv0679c immune response in TB patients from the endemic and non-endemic regions of the Beijing MTB genotype.MethodsWe analyzed the Rv0679c-specific antibody responses in 84 subjects from the endemic region of the Beijing genotype MTB in China, including 45 pulmonary TB patients (C-PTB) and 39 healthy controls (C-HC), and 81 subjects from the Philippines (the endemic region of the non-Beijing genotype), including 51 pulmonary TB patients (P-PTB) and 30 healthy controls (P-HC). Anti-tuberculous-glycolipid (TBGL) antigen was used as the control antibody.ResultsTBGL IgG titers were higher in both C-PTB and P-PTB than those in their corresponding HC (C-PTB median 4.2, P-PTB median 11.2; C-PTB vs. P-PTB, p > 0.05), suggesting immune response comparability in PTB from two different countries. C-PTB showed a higher response compared to C-HC for anti-K-type IgG (53.3%) than anti-N-type IgG (6.67%); this response was not observed in P-PTB (both N-type and K-type 9.80%).ConclusionDimorphic antigen Rv0679c was found to be associated with distinct immune response patterns, indicating the role of Beijing/non-Beijing genotype of MTB in stimulating specific responses in TB patients from the endemic region of Beijing MTB. Meanwhile, reactions to Rv0679c in patients and HC from non-endemic regions of the Beijing MTB may be caused by the response to the common epitope of Rv0679c N/K-type.
Highlights
Strains of the Beijing genotype of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) are reportedly associated with the virulence of tuberculosis (TB) infection, unfavorable outcomes of anti-TB treatment, and the global TB pandemic
The experiment was repeated and Monoclonal antibody (mAb) supernatant was diluted by a factor of 50 to give an optical density (OD) value of 2, which corresponded to 32 U/mL of the TBGL standard processed under identical experimental conditions. mAbs 5D4–2 and 8G10–2 were used in experiments at this concentration (1/50 dilution)
Statistical analysis The cutoff for identification of samples that were positive for anti-Rv0679c antibody was calculated as the mean OD plus 3 standard deviations of the group with the lowest reaction, which was assigned to C-Healthy control participants (HC) [20]
Summary
Strains of the Beijing genotype of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) are reportedly associated with the virulence of tuberculosis (TB) infection, unfavorable outcomes of anti-TB treatment, and the global TB pandemic. We aimed to investigate the anti-Rv0679c immune response in TB patients from the endemic and non-endemic regions of the Beijing MTB genotype. By 2007, in the Philippines, the prevalence rate of TB was 200/100,000 for smearpositive TB and 470/100,000 for culture-positive TB, with an increasing trend in the incidence of TB infection [3]. These surveys collectively indicated the significance of TB in both countries. A recent survey conducted in northeastern China indicated a predominance of the Beijing genotype, accounting for 89.5% of TB infections [12]
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