Functions of the ATP-binding cassette transporters of Rv1273c and Rv1272c in Mycobacterium tuber-culosis / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the functions of Rv1273c and Rv1272c, two ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Methods The ethidium bromide ( EB)-agar cartwheel and EB accumulation assays were used to detect the transport direc-tion of Rv1273c and Rv1272c in the recombinant strains of BL21/pET-28a-rv1273c and BL21/pET-28a-rv1272c, which were constructed by our lab in the previous study. RT-PCR was used to confirm whether rv1273c and rv1272c genes were in the same operon. Real-time PCR was performed to detect the expression of rv1272c and rv1273c genes in M. tuberculosis strains of H37Rv and H37Ra. Results Both the EB-agar cartwheel and the EB accumulation assays indicated that Rv1273c and Rv1272c transported EB into cells. Results of the RT-PCR showed that rv1273c and rv1272c were in the same operon. The expression of rv1273c and rv1272c at mRNA level in M. tuberculosis H37Ra strain were about 6 times higher than those in M. tuber-culosis H37Rv strain. Conclusion Rv1273c and Rv1272c are ABC importers and might be related to the virulence of M. tuberculosis.