Abstract
BackgroundThe potential causes for variation in virulence between distinct M. tuberculosis strains are still not fully known. However, differences in protein expression are probably an important factor. In this study we used a label-free quantitative proteomic approach to estimate differences in protein abundance between two closely related M. tuberculosis strains; the virulent H37Rv strain and its attenuated counterpart H37Ra.ResultsWe were able to identify more than 1700 proteins from both strains. As expected, the majority of the identified proteins had similar relative abundance in the two strains. However, 29 membrane-associated proteins were observed with a 5 or more fold difference in their relative abundance in one strain compared to the other. Of note, 19 membrane- and lipo-proteins had higher abundance in H37Rv, while another 10 proteins had a higher abundance in H37Ra. Interestingly, the possible protein-export membrane protein SecF (Rv2586c), and three ABC-transporter proteins (Rv0933, Rv1273c and Rv1819c) were among the more abundant proteins in M. tuberculosis H37Rv.ConclusionOur data suggests that the bacterial secretion system and the transmembrane transport system may be important determinants of the ability of distinct M. tuberculosis strains to cause disease.
Highlights
The potential causes for variation in virulence between distinct M. tuberculosis strains are still not fully known
Triton X-114 detergent extracted proteins The aim of this study was to perform a proteomic analysis on protein expression of two closely related lineages of M. tuberculosis, the virulent H37Rv and the avirulent H37Ra strains, with a main focus on membrane- and membrane-associated proteins
1771 different protein groups were identified, with 1578 proteins identified in the M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain, and 1493 were observed in the H37Ra strain
Summary
The potential causes for variation in virulence between distinct M. tuberculosis strains are still not fully known. In this study we used a labelfree quantitative proteomic approach to estimate differences in protein abundance between two closely related M. tuberculosis strains; the virulent H37Rv strain and its attenuated counterpart H37Ra. Tuberculosis is an airborne infection caused by M. tuberculosis. A central issue in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis is the characterization of virulence determinants of M. tuberculosis that are relevant to human disease [2]. The best studied virulent laboratory strain of M. tuberculosis H37Rv has an avirulent counterpart in M. tuberculosis H37Ra, which was recognized as early as 1934 [3]. Though infectious, it does not replicate in
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