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  5. Engineered Mycobacterium tuberculosis triple-kill-switch strain provides controlled tuberculosis infection in animal models.

Engineered Mycobacterium tuberculosis triple-kill-switch strain provides controlled tuberculosis infection in animal models.

File(s)
39794471.pdf (3.77 MB)
Permanent Link(s)
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/116744
Collections
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Author
Wang, X.
Su, H.
Wallach, J. B.
Wagner, J. C.
Braunecker, B. J.
Gardner, M.
Guinn, K. M.
Howard, N. C.
Klevorn, T.
Lin, K.
Liu, Y. J.
Liu, Y.
Mugahid, D.
Rodgers, M.
Sixsmith, J.
Wakabayashi, S.
Zhu, J.
Zimmerman, M.
Dartois, V.
Flynn, J. L.
Lin, P. L.
Ehrt, S.
Fortune, S. M.
Rubin, E. J.
Schnappinger, D.
Abstract

Human challenge experiments could accelerate tuberculosis vaccine development. This requires a safe Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strain that can both replicate in the host and be reliably cleared. Here we genetically engineered Mtb strains encoding up to three kill switches: two mycobacteriophage lysin operons negatively regulated by tetracycline and a degron domain-NadE fusion, which induces ClpC1-dependent degradation of the essential enzyme NadE, negatively regulated by trimethoprim. The triple-kill-switch (TKS) strain showed similar growth kinetics and antibiotic susceptibilities to wild-type Mtb under permissive conditions but was rapidly killed in vitro without trimethoprim and doxycycline. It established infection in mice receiving antibiotics but was rapidly cleared upon cessation of treatment, and no relapse was observed in infected severe combined immunodeficiency mice or Rag-/- mice. The TKS strain had an escape mutation rate of less than 10-10 per genome per generation. These findings suggest that the TKS strain could be a safe, effective candidate for a human challenge model.

Journal / Series
Nature microbiology
Date Issued
1/10/25
Keywords
Animals
•
Mice
•
Disease Models, Animal
•
Tuberculosis/microbiology
•
Mycobacteriophages/genetics/physiology
•
Humans
•
Bacterial Proteins/genetics/metabolismAntitubercular Agents/pharmacology
•
Genetic Engineering
•
Mice, SCID
•
Operon
•
Trimethoprim/pharmacology
•
Female
•
WCM Library Coordinated Deposit
Related DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01913-5
Previously Published as
Wang X, Su H, Wallach JB, Wagner JC, Braunecker BJ, Gardner M, Guinn KM, Howard NC, Klevorn T, Lin K, Liu YJ, Liu Y, Mugahid D, Rodgers M, Sixsmith J, Wakabayashi S, Zhu J, Zimmerman M, Dartois V, Flynn JL, Lin PL, Ehrt S, Fortune SM, Rubin EJ, Schnappinger D. Engineered Mycobacterium tuberculosis triple-kill-switch strain provides controlled tuberculosis infection in animal models. Nat Microbiol. 2025;10(2):482-94. Epub 20250110. doi: 10.1038/s41564-024-01913-5. PMID: 39794471
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Type
article

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