Natural mutations in the sensor kinase of the PhoPR two-component regulatory system modulate virulence of ancestor-like tuberculosis bacilli

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the PhoPR two-component regulatory system controls production and secretion of proteins and lipid virulence effectors. Several mutations, present in phoR of Mycobacterium canettii relative to M. tuberculosis, impact the expression of the PhoP regulon and the pathogenicity of the strains. Here, we analyse by RNA-seq the expression profile of PhoP-regulated genes between the two M. tuberculosis strains H37Rv and HN878 and the two M. canettii isolates STB-Ks and STB-Kr. Gene expression profiling by RNA-seq of M. tuberculosis H37Rv and HN878 strains and M. canettii STB-Ks and STB-Kr isolates cultured in normal growth condition