Identification of gene fusion events in <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> that encode chimeric proteins.

ABSTRACT: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a facultative intracellular pathogen responsible for causing tuberculosis. The harsh environment in which M. tuberculosis survives requires this pathogen to continuously adapt in order to maintain an evolutionary advantage. However, the apparent absence of horizontal gene transfer in M. tuberculosis imposes restrictions in the ways by which evolution can occur. Large-scale changes in the genome can be introduced through genome reduction, recombination events and structural variation. Here, we identify a functional chimeric protein in the ppe38-71 locus, the absence of which is known to have an impact on protein secretion and virulence. To examine whether this approach was used more often by this pathogen, we further develop software

SUBMITTER: Gallant J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7671302 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature