Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), is the leading infectious cause of mortality worldwide. One of the key reasons for M. tb pathogenesis is the capability of M. tb to evade immune elimination and survive in macrophage, eventually causing chronic infection. However the pathogenicity mechanism of M. tb is not unclear yet, and thus diagnosis and therapy for TB remains a challenge. The genome of M. tb, encodes a unique protein family known as the PGRS family, with largely unexplored functions. Recently, an increasing number of reports have shown that the PE_PGRS proteins play critical roles in bacterial pathogenesis and immune evasion. The PE_PGRS protein family, characterized by a special N‐terminal PE (Pro (P)‐Glu (E) motif) domain and a C‐terminal PGRS (Polymorphic GC‐rich Repetitive Sequences) domain, is restricted mainly to pathogenic mycobacteria. Here we summarize current literature on the PE_PGRS as vital proteins in promoting bacterial survival and modulating host immunity, cell death and metabolism. We also highlight the potential of PE_PGRS as novel targets of anti‐mycobacterial interventions for TB control.

中文翻译：

---

PE_PGRS：促进分枝杆菌存活和调节宿主免疫和代谢的重要蛋白质

由结核分枝杆菌( M. tb )引起的结核病 (TB)是世界范围内导致死亡的主要传染病。M. tb发病的关键原因之一是M. tb能够逃避免疫清除并在巨噬细胞中存活，最终导致慢性感染。然而，结核分枝杆菌的致病机制尚不清楚，因此结核病的诊断和治疗仍然是一个挑战。结核分枝杆菌的基因组, 编码一个独特的蛋白质家族，称为 PGRS 家族，其功能很大程度上尚未开发。最近，越来越多的报告表明 PE_PGRS 蛋白在细菌发病机制和免疫逃避中起着关键作用。PE_PGRS 蛋白家族的特点是一个特殊的 N 端 PE（Pro (P)-Glu (E) 基序）域和一个 C 端 PGRS（多态性 GC 丰富的重复序列）域，主要限于致病性分枝杆菌。在这里，我们总结了当前关于 PE_PGRS 作为促进细菌存活和调节宿主免疫、细胞死亡和新陈代谢的重要蛋白质的文献。我们还强调了 PE_PGRS 作为抗分枝杆菌干预结核病控制的新目标的潜力。