Comparison of mid-log transcriptomes of clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The global diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis comprises at least seven lineages, each with its distinct geographic distribution. The aim of this experiment was to perform a comparative analysis of two of these lineages: Lineage 1 and Lineage 2. The former is found around the rim of the Indian ocean and in south-east Asia, while the latter is widely spread throughout Asia and shows an increasing global spread. We have chosen three fully drug susceptible clincal isolates to represent each of the two lineages. We performed RNAseq analysis on rRNA depleted samples isolated from cultures during mid-log phase. Each strain was measured in triplicate.