Zebrafish embryo screen for mycobacterial genes involved in the initiation of granuloma formation reveals a newly identified ESX-1 component.

ABSTRACT: The hallmark of tuberculosis (TB) is the formation of granulomas, which are clusters of infected macrophages surrounded by additional macrophages, neutrophils and lymphocytes. Although it has long been thought that granulomas are beneficial for the host, there is evidence that mycobacteria also promote the formation of these structures. In this study, we aimed to identify new mycobacterial factors involved in the initial stages of granuloma formation. We exploited the zebrafish embryo Mycobacterium marinum infection model to study initiation of granuloma formation and developed an in vivo screen to select for random M. marinum mutants that were unable to induce granuloma formation efficiently. Upon screening 200 mutants, three mutants repeatedly initiated reduced granuloma formation. One o

SUBMITTER: Stoop EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3124061 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature