A PhoP point mutation discriminates between the virulent H37Rv and avirulent H37Ra strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

To uncover mutations underlying the attentuation of H37Ra, we embarked on sequencing its genome using a novel massive parallel pyrosequencing technology. Comparison with the virulent H37Rv parental strain revealed only few polymorphisms, one of which was located in the DNA binding domain of the transcriptional regulator PhoP. Keywords: Expresion profiling To investigate the phenotypic consequences caused by the mutations in the H37Ra genome, we compared the mRNA expression profiles of H37Rv and H37Ra in a protracted time course study.