Project description:In the present study, we applied microarray technology to define a biosignature from the whole genome expression in lung and spleen samples after BCG vaccination and M. bovis infection of BALB/c mice. The aims were two-fold, namely to define biosignatures that could predict vaccine success before challenge, and biomarker patterns that correlated with anamnestic protective responses following exposure to virulent M. bovis. Further, Our aim was to define these markers to be detectable without in vitro antigenic challenge. After BCG vaccination, we defined a specific pulmonary gene expression signature related to the connective tissue development and function network that predicted vaccine success before M. bovis challenge. In addition, a Th17-related cytokine profile was found that correlated with vaccine-induced protective immunity following infection with virulent M. bovis in the lung as well as additional genes that were up-regulated in the spleens of vaccinated animals post-infection that was related to neutrophil biology and inflammation. This study has therefore prioritized both biomarkers predicting vaccination success before challenge and bio-signatures that are associated with protective immune responses that will be useful to evaluate future vaccine candidates. Two groups of 20 mice each were immunised by a single intradermal injection of 2 x 10 to 5 CFU of M. bovis BCG (Vaccinated), or Hanks buffered salt solution (HBSS) (Unvaccinated). Six weeks later 5 mice from each group were euthanized for immunological analyses and the remaining mice from each group were challenged with approx 600 CFU M. bovis via the intranasal route. At days 3 and 14 post challenge five mice per group were euthanized and spleens and lungs harvested.
Project description:Tuberculosis (TB) is one of major causes of death worldwide. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the only licensed TB vaccine and its inability to protect against adult pulmonary TB can be due to genetic differences among strains described since the 1940s. In this work, we compared the proteomic profile of the surface-associated proteins from M. bovis BCG Moreau, the Brazilian vaccine strain, and the BCG Pasteur reference strain. The methodology used was 2D-gel electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry techniques (MALDI-TOF/TOF). We identified 115 proteins. Of these, 24 proteins showed differential expression between the two BCG strains. Furthermore, 27 proteins previously described as displaying moonlighting function were identified, 8 of these proteins showed variation in abundance comparing BCG Moreau to Pasteur and 2 of them presented two different domain hits.
Project description:In the present study, we applied microarray technology to define a biosignature from the whole genome expression in lung and spleen samples after BCG vaccination and M. bovis infection of BALB/c mice. The aims were two-fold, namely to define biosignatures that could predict vaccine success before challenge, and biomarker patterns that correlated with anamnestic protective responses following exposure to virulent M. bovis. Further, Our aim was to define these markers to be detectable without in vitro antigenic challenge. After BCG vaccination, we defined a specific pulmonary gene expression signature related to the connective tissue development and function network that predicted vaccine success before M. bovis challenge. In addition, a Th17-related cytokine profile was found that correlated with vaccine-induced protective immunity following infection with virulent M. bovis in the lung as well as additional genes that were up-regulated in the spleens of vaccinated animals post-infection that was related to neutrophil biology and inflammation. This study has therefore prioritized both biomarkers predicting vaccination success before challenge and bio-signatures that are associated with protective immune responses that will be useful to evaluate future vaccine candidates.
Project description:Despite wide scale vaccination with Mycobacterium bovis BCG, the prevalence of tuberculosis remains high, reflecting the global variable efficacy of this vaccine against adult pulmonary TB. Characterisation of different immune responses to M. tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG would increase understanding of pathology following M. tuberculosis infection or reactivation, and would facilitate the rational design of a new vaccine. Gene expression profiling was conducted on samples from diluted whole blood cultures from three healthy donors following incubation with live mycobacteria for six days. Approximately 8,000 gene entities were at least two-fold up- or down- regulated by the mycobacteria, and both mycobacteria induced similar expression changes in approximately 2,300 genes. Strikingly, many genes exhibited qualitatively different expression patterns, with over 1,000 genes up-regulated in response to M. bovis BCG but not changed by M. tuberculosis. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that the genes which failed to upregulate in M. tuberculosis-infected cultures included a large proportion of genes with lysosomal function. The inhibited up-regulation of expression of IFN-γ-inducible protein 30, acid phosphatase 2, cathepsin B and GM2 ganglioside activator was verified in samples from six biologically independent donors by qRT-PCR. The failure to up-regulate these genes in response to M. tuberculosis may constitute an immune evasion mechanism, preventing intracellular killing and antigen presentation. Blood from three healthy BCG-vaccinated donors was diluted with growth medium and incubated alone or with live M. tuberculosis (H37Rv), M. bovis BCG for 6 days. RNA samples were pooled before hybridisation.
Project description:Mycobacterial Ser/Thr kinases play a critical role in bacterial physiology and pathogenesis. Linking kinases to the substrates they phosphorylate in vivo, thereby elucidating their exact functions, is still a challenge. The aim of this work was to associate protein phosphorylation in mycobacteria with important subsequent macro cellular events by identifying the physiological substrates of PknG in Mycobacterium bovis BCG. The study compared the phosphoproteome dynamics during the batch growth of M. bovis BGC versus the respective PknG knock-out mutant (ΔPknG-BCG) strains.
Project description:Global gene expression analysis of Mycobacterium bovis BCG following Triclosan treatment using Affymetrix GeneChip arrays. Results from this study provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the cellular response of Mycobacterium bovis BCG to Triclosan