INDUCTION OF MYCOBACTERIAL PROTEINS DURING PHAGOCYTOSIS AND HEAT-SHOCK - A TIME-INTERVAL ANALYSIS

Mycobacterium tuberculosis survives macrophage bactericidal activities by mechanisms that may include induction of stress proteins. We sought to determine whether the synthesis of any mycobacterial proteins is increased during phagocytosis and whether any of these proteins are also up-regulated during heat shock. Protein synthesis by M. tuberculosis H37Ra during phagocytosis by the mouse macrophage cell line IC-21, and during heat shock at 45 and 48 degrees C, was monitored at various time intervals using S-35-labeled methionine/cysteine and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Our data suggest the existence of certain common elements in the stress response of mycobacteria to the three stress stimuli. This apparent similarity was best characterized by the up-regulation of a 25-kDa protein after exposure to each of the stress conditions. Furthermore, this 25-kDa protein and a 37-kDa protein that was also synthesized during phagocytosis appeared to be extracellular because they were preferentially solubilized when infected macrophages were lysed with 0.5% NP-40.