Zogaj Xhavit, Klose Karl E
Department of Biology, South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas San Antonio San Antonio, TX, USA.
Front Microbiol. 2011 Jan 5;1:142. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2010.00142. eCollection 2010.
Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular pathogen that causes the disease tularemia. F. tularensis subsp. tularensis causes the most severe disease in humans and has been classified as a Category A select agent and potential bioweapon. There is currently no vaccine approved for human use, making genetic manipulation of this organism critical to unraveling the genetic basis of pathogenesis and developing countermeasures against tularemia. The development of genetic techniques applicable to F. tularensis have lagged behind those routinely used for other bacteria, primarily due to lack of research and the restricted nature of the biocontainment required for studying this pathogen. However, in recent years, genetic techniques, such as transposon mutagenesis and targeted gene disruption, have been developed, that have had a dramatic impact on our understanding of the genetic basis of F. tularensis virulence. In this review, we describe some of the methods developed for genetic manipulation of F. tularensis.
土拉弗朗西斯菌是一种兼性胞内病原体，可引发兔热病。土拉弗朗西斯菌亚种土拉弗朗西斯菌可导致人类最严重的疾病，已被列为A类选择生物制剂和潜在生物武器。目前尚无获批用于人类的疫苗，因此对该生物体进行基因操作对于阐明发病机制的遗传基础以及开发兔热病应对措施至关重要。适用于土拉弗朗西斯菌的基因技术发展落后于其他细菌常规使用的技术，主要原因是缺乏研究以及研究该病原体所需的生物安全限制性质。然而，近年来已开发出转座子诱变和靶向基因破坏等基因技术，这些技术对我们理解土拉弗朗西斯菌毒力的遗传基础产生了巨大影响。在本综述中，我们描述了一些为土拉弗朗西斯菌基因操作而开发的方法。
