Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
represents an ancient deadly human pathogen that can survive and multiply within macrophages. The effectors are key players for the successful pathogenesis of this bacterium.
M. tuberculosis
open reading frame (ORF)
Rv0341
, a pathogenic mycobacteria-specific gene, was found to be upregulated in macrophages isolated from human tuberculosis granuloma and inside the macrophages during in vitro infection by
M. tuberculosis
. To understand the exact role of this gene, we expressed the
Rv0341
gene in
M. smegmatis
, which is a non-pathogenic
Mycobacterium
. We found that Rv0341 expression can alter colony morphology, reduce the sliding capability, and decrease the cell wall permeability of
M. smegmatis
. Furthermore, Rv0341 remarkably enhanced
M. smegmatis
survival within macrophages and under multiple in vitro stress conditions when compared with the control strain. Ms_Rv0341 significantly induced expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10 compared with
M. smegmatis
harboring an empty vector. In summary, these data suggest that Rv0341 is one of the
M. tuberculosis
virulence determinants that can promote bacilli survival in harsh conditions and inside macrophages.