Researchers have completed the genome sequencing of 161 Mycobacterium tuberculosis which cause infectious disease tuberculosis (TB).
To understand the drug resistance mechanism from DNA level, Chinese researchers conducted a comprehensive genome-wide study of 161 M. tuberculosis strains with a broad range of resistance profiles (44 drug-sensitive, 94 MDR and 23 XDR isolates).
In total, they discovered 72 novel genes, 28 intergenic regions (IGRs), 11 nonsynonymous SNPs and 10 IGR SNPs with strong, consistent associations with drug resistance.
Researchers found that the genetic basis of drug resistance is more complex than previously expected. The identification of new drug resistance-associated genes, IGRs and SNPs provides a nearly complete gene set for studying drug resistance TB.
The study has been published online in Nature Genetics.