Poster #031, UCSF
A doxycycline-inducible mammalian expression system for investigating the functional impact of Mycobacterium tuberculosis EspB on host cells
Mentors: Zachary Howard, PhD and Joel Ernst, MD
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a bacterium that causes tuberculosis, a disease that continues to be a major global health problem. Learning how Mtb interacts with and changes host cells can help researchers develop better treatments and vaccines. EspB is a protein made by Mtb that is important for infection. Previous studies have shown that EspB interacts with proteins in the nuclear pore complex, and bacteria lacking EspB do not trigger interferon-beta (IFN-β), an important part of the immune response. In this study, we used a cell line that can be induced to express mature EspB fused to the fluorescent protein mNeonGreen (EspB-mNeonGreen). Fluorescence microscopy confirmed that EspB is successfully expressed and can be seen inside the cells. Ongoing experiments are investigating how EspB affects the nuclear pore complex and IFN-β production. This cell model provides a useful way to better understand how EspB changes host cell function and may help explain how Mtb causes disease.