Nakamura Kazuaki, Akama Takeshi, Bang Pham Dang, Sekimura Shin, Tanigawa Kazunari, Wu Huhehasi, Kawashima Akira, Hayashi Moyuru, Suzuki Koichi, Ishii Norihisa
Department of Bioregulation, Leprosy Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Aoba-cho, Higashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan.
Microb Pathog. 2009 Sep;47(3):183-7. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2009.06.006. Epub 2009 Jun 23.
We have previously reported that some pseudogenes are expressed in Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae), the causative agent of leprosy, and that their expression levels alter upon infection of macrophages. We attempted to further examine the expression of pseudogene and non-coding genomic region in M. leprae, in this study. 19 Pseudogenes, 17 non-coding genomic regions, and 21 coding genes expression in M. leprae maintained in the footpads of the hypertensive nude rat (SHR/NCrj-rnu) were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression of some of these pseudogenes, non-coding genomic regions and coding genes were also examined in M. leprae from skin smear specimens obtained from patients with lepromatous leprosy by RT-PCR. Transcripts from pseudogenes, non-coding genomic regions and coding genes examined in this study were clearly observed in M. leprae. The expression patterns of some of these transcripts vary greatly among different leprosy patients. These results indicate that some of pseudogenes and non-coding genomic regions are transcribed in M. leprae and analysis of RNA expression patterns including pseudogene and non-coding genomic region in M. leprae may be useful in understanding the pathological states of infected patients.
我们之前报道过，一些假基因在麻风病病原体麻风分枝杆菌中表达，并且它们的表达水平在巨噬细胞感染后会发生改变。在本研究中，我们试图进一步检测麻风分枝杆菌中假基因和非编码基因组区域的表达情况。通过逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测了维持在高血压裸大鼠（SHR/NCrj-rnu）脚垫中的麻风分枝杆菌中19个假基因、17个非编码基因组区域和21个编码基因的表达。还通过RT-PCR检测了来自瘤型麻风患者皮肤涂片标本中的麻风分枝杆菌中这些假基因、非编码基因组区域和编码基因中的一些基因的表达。在本研究中检测的假基因、非编码基因组区域和编码基因的转录本在麻风分枝杆菌中清晰可见。其中一些转录本的表达模式在不同的麻风病患者中差异很大。这些结果表明，麻风分枝杆菌中的一些假基因和非编码基因组区域会被转录，分析麻风分枝杆菌中包括假基因和非编码基因组区域在内的RNA表达模式可能有助于了解受感染患者的病理状态。
