Abstract
We propose a novel experimental approach based on coincidence cloning for analyzing sequences of bacterial intracellular pathogens specifically transcribed in affected tissues. Co-denaturation and co-renaturation of excess bacterial genomic DNA with the cDNA prepared on total RNA of the infected tissue allows one to select the bacterial fraction of the cDNA sample. We used this technique for preparing and characterizing the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cDNA pool, representing the transcriptome of infected mouse lungs in the chronic phase of infection. A cDNA pool enriched in fragments of mycobacterial cDNA was analyzed by the high-throughput 454 sequencing procedure. We demonstrated that its composition corresponded to what can be expected in the chronic phase of infection and, after the adaptation of M. tuberculosis to the host immune system, was characterized by an active lipid metabolism and switched from aerobic to anaerobic respiration. The technique is universal and requires no prior knowledge of the pathogen genome sequence. Pools of transcribed sequences obtained by this technique retain the main characteristics of the genome-wide gene transcription pattern within infected tissue, and can be used for in vivo analysis of gene expression of a wide spectrum of infection agents, such as viruses, bacteria, and protista.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 139-144 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | BioTechniques |
Volume | 48 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Coincidence cloning
- Intracellular pathogen transcriptome
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biotechnology
- General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology