Assembly of the <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> type VII ESX-1 secretion system in <i>Mycobacterium smegmatis</i> identifies a new transcriptional activator of <i>esx-1</i> genes and a novel TB vaccine

Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M. tb ) uses its type VII secretion system (T7SS) ESX-1 to export immunogenic, virulence-mediating protein effectors. In this study, the fast-growing, non-pathogenic model mycobacteria Mycobacterium smegmatis mc 2 -155 was engineered to express the M. tb T7SS ESX-1 system. We found that M. smegmatis transformed with M. tb esx-1 locus genes only, as well as M. smegmatis transformed with M. tb esx-1 and espACD operon genes (designated MSX-1), produces and secretes the M. tb ESX-1 protein effectors EsxA, EsxB, and EspB. However, the abundance of these proteins was higher inside the cell and culture filtrate of the MSX-1 strain. Although ESX-1 is critical for M. tb pathogenesis, expression of M. tb ESX-1 did not make the recombinant M. smegmatis strains virulent in macrophages. Serendipitously, transformation of M. smegmatis with a modified esx-1 locus in this study revealed rv3860 , a gene of previously unknown function, to be required for the transcription of pe35 , ppe68 , esxB, and esxA genes. Finally, mice vaccinated with MSX-1 were found to be as protected as mice vaccinated with Mycobacterium bovis BCG against M. tb infection, without becoming sensitized to tuberculin. These results show that a functional M. tb ESX-1 system can be assembled in M. smegmatis to uncover novel facets of the secretion machinery and that the modified M. smegmatis strain can function as a tuberculosis (TB) vaccine. Unlike BCG, however, its deployment may be compatible with tests currently used to diagnose TB.IMPORTANCEIn this study, we modified Mycobacterium smegmatis , which is often used as a surrogate model organism in mycobacterial research, to produce and assemble a functional Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M. tb ) ESX-1 protein secretion system. One such M. smegmatis strain named MSX-1 was found to make a functional M. tb ESX-1 system without becoming virulent. And in using M. smegmatis as a chassis to study the ESX-1 system, we found that rv3860 , an M. tb gene of previously unknown function, is needed for the production of key ESX-1 proteins. Finally, mice vaccinated with MSX-1 were as protected from tuberculosis (TB) as mice given BCG, the only approved TB vaccine. Notably, we found that unlike BCG, MSX-1 does not sensitize mice to the antigens used in existing TB diagnostic tests. These observations, taken together, highlight the utility of M. smegmatis as a chassis to study the M. tb ESX-1 secretion machinery.