Abstract

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the genes Rv1954A–Rv1957 form an operon that includes Rv1955 and Rv1956 which encode the HigB toxin and the HigA antitoxin respectively. We are interested in the role and regulation of this operon, since toxin–antitoxin systems have been suggested to play a part in the formation of persister cells in mycobacteria. To investigate the function of the higBA locus, effects of toxin expression on mycobacterial growth and transcript levels were assessed in M. tuberculosis H37Rv wild type and in an operon deletion background. We show that expression of HigB toxin in the absence of HigA antitoxin arrests growth and causes cell death in M. tuberculosis. We demonstrate HigB expression to reduce the abundance of IdeR and Zur regulated mRNAs and to cleave tmRNA in M. tuberculosis, Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium smegmatis. This study provides the first identification of possible target transcripts of HigB in M. tuberculosis.

Highlights

  • Induced ectopic expression of HigB toxin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis results in growth inhibition, reduced abundance of a subset of mRNAs and cleavage of tmRNA.

  • Rv0141c Rv0142 Rv0143c Rv0144 Rv0145 Rv0146 Rv0147 Rv0148 Rv0149 Rv0150c Rv0151c Rv0152c Rv0153c Rv0154c Rv0155 Rv0156 Rv0157 Rv0157A Rv0158 Rv0159c Rv0160c Rv0161 Rv0162c Rv0163 Rv0164 Rv0165c Rv0166 Rv0167 Rv0168 Rv0169 Rv0170 Rv0171 Rv0172 Rv0173 Rv0174 Rv0175 Rv0176 Rv0177 Rv0178 Rv0179c Rv0180c Rv0181c Rv0182c Rv0183 Rv0184 Rv0185 Rv0186 Rv0186A Rv0187 Rv0188

  • Rv0189c Rv0190 Rv0191 Rv0192 Rv0192A Rv0193c Rv0194 Rv0195 Rv0196 Rv0197 Rv0198c Rv0199 Rv0200 Rv0201c Rv0202c Rv0203 Rv0204c Rv0205 Rv0206c Rv0207c Rv0208c Rv0209 Rv0210 Rv0211 Rv0212c Rv0213c Rv0214 Rv0215c Rv0216 Rv0217c Rv0218 Rv0219 Rv0220 Rv0221 Rv0222 Rv0223c Rv0224c Rv0225 Rv0226c Rv0227c Rv0228 Rv0229c Rv0230c Rv0231 Rv0232 Rv0233 Rv0234c Rv0235c Rv0236c Rv0236A

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Summary

Introduction

Induced ectopic expression of HigB toxin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis results in growth inhibition, reduced abundance of a subset of mRNAs and cleavage of tmRNA. Rv0141c Rv0142 Rv0143c Rv0144 Rv0145 Rv0146 Rv0147 Rv0148 Rv0149 Rv0150c Rv0151c Rv0152c Rv0153c Rv0154c Rv0155 Rv0156 Rv0157 Rv0157A Rv0158 Rv0159c Rv0160c Rv0161 Rv0162c Rv0163 Rv0164 Rv0165c Rv0166 Rv0167 Rv0168 Rv0169 Rv0170 Rv0171 Rv0172 Rv0173 Rv0174 Rv0175 Rv0176 Rv0177 Rv0178 Rv0179c Rv0180c Rv0181c Rv0182c Rv0183 Rv0184 Rv0185 Rv0186 Rv0186A Rv0187 Rv0188

Results
Conclusion

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