Construction of an expression system for membrane transporters of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K15087
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Functional biochemistry
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Kabashima Yoshiki 東京大学, 定量生命科学研究所, 助教 (00580573)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 膜輸送体 / 結晶構造解析 / 結核菌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is difficult to study bacterial membrane transporters that cannot be expressed in E. coli. In particular, there have been a few cases in which high expression of membrane transporters of high GC gram-positive bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was successful. Therefore, in this study, we tried to construct an expression system of membrane transporters derived from M. tuberculosis. Focusing on the membrane structure and lipid compositions of the expression host, Mycobacterium smegmatis, which is nonpathogenic and belonging to the genus Mycobacterium, was used as a host for protein expression. As a result, we have been successful for expressing two membrane transporters, CtpF and MntH derived from M. tuberculosis.

Free Research Field

生物科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で対象とする膜輸送体はすべて、宿主マクロファージ内での結核菌の長期生存に重要である。従って、本研究により、長期にわたってヒトの細胞内で生存するために、結核菌がどのようにして宿主内の免疫系に適応しているのか、その一端が明らかになることが期待される。将来的に、これらの膜輸送体の機能解析、阻害剤の探索などの研究が進めば、新規抗結核薬の開発につながると考えている。