Molecular typing based on 12 loci containing variable numbers of tandem repeats of mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units (MIRU-VNTRs) has been adopted in combination with spoligotyping as the basis for large-scale, high-throughput genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, even the combination of these two methods is still less discriminatory than IS6110 fingerprinting. Here, we define an optimized set of MIRU-VNTR loci with a significantly higher discriminatory power. The resolution and the stability/robustness of 29 loci were analyzed, using a total of 824 tubercle bacillus isolates, including representatives of the main lineages identified worldwide so far. Five loci were excluded for lack of robustness and/or stability in serial isolates or isolates from epidemiologically linked patients. The use of the 24 remaining loci increased the number of types by 40%—and by 23% in combination with spoligotyping—among isolates from cosmopolitan origins, compared to those obtained with the original set of 12 loci. Consequently, the clustering rate was decreased by fourfold—by threefold in combination with spoligotyping—under the same conditions. A discriminatory subset of 15 loci with the highest evolutionary rates was then defined that concentrated 96% of the total resolution obtained with the full 24-locus set. Its predictive value for evaluating M. tuberculosis transmission was found to be equal to that of IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism typing, as shown in a companion population-based study. This 15-locus system is therefore proposed as the new standard for routine epidemiological discrimination of M. tuberculosis isolates and the 24-locus system as a high-resolution tool for phylogenetic studies.

Proposal for Standardization of Optimized Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit-Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Summary: Actinobacteria constitute one of the largest phyla among Bacteria and represent gram-positive bacteria with a high G+C content in their DNA. This bacterial group includes microorganisms exhibiting a wide spectrum of morphologies, from coccoid to fragmenting hyphal forms, as well as possessing highly variable physiological and metabolic properties. Furthermore, Actinobacteria members have adopted different lifestyles, and can be pathogens (e.g., Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Tropheryma, and Propionibacterium), soil inhabitants (Streptomyces), plant commensals (Leifsonia), or gastrointestinal commensals (Bifidobacterium). The divergence of Actinobacteria from other bacteria is ancient, making it impossible to identify the phylogenetically closest bacterial group to Actinobacteria. Genome sequence analysis has revolutionized every aspect of bacterial biology by enhancing the understanding of the genetics, physiology, and evolutionary development of bacteria. Various actinobacterial genomes have been sequenced, revealing a wide genomic heterogeneity probably as a reflection of their biodiversity. This review provides an account of the recent explosion of actinobacterial genomics data and an attempt to place this in a biological and evolutionary context.

Genomics of Actinobacteria: Tracing the Evolutionary History of an Ancient Phylum

Large-scale genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is especially challenging, as the current typing methods are labor-intensive and the results are difficult to compare among laboratories. Here, automated typing based on variable-number tandem repeats (VNTRs) of genetic elements named mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units (MIRUs) in 12 mammalian minisatellite-like loci of M. tuberculosis is presented. This system combines analysis of multiplex PCRs on a fluorescence-based DNA analyzer with computerized automation of the genotyping. Analysis of a blinded reference set of 90 strains from 38 countries (K. Kremer et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 37:2607-2618, 1999) demonstrated that it is 100% reproducible, sensitive, and specific for M. tuberculosis complex isolates, a performance that has not been achieved by any other typing method tested in the same conditions. MIRU-VNTRs can be used for analysis of the global genetic diversity of M. tuberculosis complex strains at different levels of evolutionary divergence. To fully exploit the portability of this typing system, a website was set up for the analysis of M. tuberculosis MIRU-VNTR genotypes via the Internet. This opens the way for global epidemiological surveillance of tuberculosis and should lead to novel insights into the evolutionary and population genetics of this major pathogen.

https://jcm.asm.org/content/jcm/39/10/3563.full.pdf

Automated High-Throughput Genotyping for Study of Global Epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Based on Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Units

Genetic loci containing variable numbers of tandem repeats (VNTR loci) form the basis for human gene mapping and identification, forensic analysis and paternity testing. The variability of bacterial tandem repeats has not been systematically studied. Eleven tandem repeat loci in the M. tuberculosis genome were analysed. Five major polymorphic tandem repeat (MPTR) loci contained 15-bp repeats with substantial sequence variation in adjacent copies. Six exact tandem repeat (ETR) loci contained large DNA repeats with identical sequences in adjacent repeats. These 11 loci were amplified in 48 strains to determine the number of tandem repeats at each locus. The strains analysed included 25 wild-type strains of M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. africanum and M. microti and 23 substrains of the attenuated M. bovis BCG vaccine. One of the five MPTR loci and all six ETR loci had length polymorphisms corresponding to insertions or deletions of tandem repeats. Most ETR loci were located in intergenic regions where copy number may influence expression of downstream genes. Each ETR locus had multiple alleles in the panel. Combined analysis identified 22 distinct allele profiles in 25 wild-type strains of the M. tuberculosis complex and five allele profiles in 23 M. bovis BCG substrains. Allele profiles were reproducible and stable, as demonstrated by analyses of multiple isolates of particular reference strains obtained from different laboratories. VNTR typing may be generally useful for strain differentiation and evolutionary studies in bacteria.

Genetic diversity in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex based on variable numbers of tandem DNA repeats.

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) consists of closely related species that cause tuberculosis in both humans and animals. This illness, still today, remains to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. The mycobacteria enter the host by air, and, once in the lungs, are phagocytated by macrophages. This may lead to the rapid elimination of the bacillus or to the triggering of an active tuberculosis infection. A large number of different virulence factors have evolved in MTBC members as a response to the host immune reaction. The aim of this review is to describe the bacterial genes/proteins that are essential for the virulence of MTBC species, and that have been demonstrated in an in vivo model of infection. Knowledge of MTBC virulence factors is essential for the development of new vaccines and drugs to help manage the disease toward an increasingly more tuberculosis-free world.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.4161/viru.22329

Virulence factors of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex

Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units (MIRUs), a novel class of repeated sequences, were identified within the intercistronic region of an operon coding for a mycobacterial two-component system, named senX3-regX3. Southern blot analysis and homology searches revealed the presence of several homologous sequences in intergenic regions dispersed throughout the genomes of Mycobacterium bovis BCG, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae. These could be grouped into three major families, containing elements of 77-101 bp, 46-53 bp and 58-101 bp. Based on the available mycobacterial sequences, the total number of MIRUs is estimated to be about 40-50 per genome. Similar to previously identified small repetitive sequences, the MIRUs of the two-component operon are transcribed on a polycistronic mRNA. Unlike previously identified small repetitive sequences, however, MIRUs do not contain dyad symmetries, comprise small open reading frames (ORFs) whose extremities overlap those of the contiguous ORFs and are oriented in the same translational direction as those of the adjacent genes. Analyses of the sequences at the insertion sites suggest that MIRUs disseminate by transposition into DTGA sites involved in translational coupling in polycistronic operons.

Identification of novel intergenic repetitive units in a mycobacterial two‐component system operon

Environmental regulation of bacterial gene expression is often mediated by two-component signal transduction systems, which are themselves tightly regulated. The response regulator RegX3 and the cytoplasmic portion of the histidine kinase SenX3 from Mycobacterium bovis BCG were overproduced in Escherichia coli and purified as N-terminally (His)6-tagged proteins. Phosphorylation assays demonstrated autophosphorylation of the cytoplasmic portion of SenX3 and a phosphotransfer from SenX3 to RegX3, involving conserved histidine and aspartate residues, respectively. In addition, as shown by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, (His)6RegX3 was able to specifically bind to the promoter region of the senX3–regX3 operon. Furthermore, operon fusion analyses indicated that the overexpression of the senX3–regX3 operon increases the activity of the senX3 promoter in Mycobacterium smegmatis. Together, these results indicate that the mycobacterial SenX3–RegX3 two-component system is positively autoregulated.

/pdf/molecular-characterization-of-the-mycobacterial-senx3-regx3-u26k260epq.pdf

Molecular characterization of the mycobacterial SenX3-RegX3 two-component system: evidence for autoregulation.

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Identification of novel intergenic repetitive units in a mycobacterial two‐component system operon

Molecular characterization of the mycobacterial SenX3-RegX3 two-component system: evidence for autoregulation.