Exosomes are selectively packaged cell-derived vesicles that contain a rich cargo of nucleic acids and proteins. The small heat shock protein, Hsp16.3, is an important capsule protein produced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Exploring the distribution of Hsp16.3 in exosomes is valuable to tuberculosis biomarker development. Our results showed that Hsp16.3 protein overexpressed in cells can be efficiently packaged into exosomes. U937 cells infected with MTB secreted abnormally excessive amounts of Hsp16.3 protein in exosomes. Finally, a substantial number of Hsp16.3 proteins were detected in blood exosomes of tuberculosis patients. The research provides a potential exosome-based tuberculosis biomarker for MTB diagnosis.

外泌体是选择性包装的细胞衍生囊泡，含有丰富的核酸和蛋白质。小的热休克蛋白 Hsp16.3 是由结核分枝杆菌(MTB)产生的一种重要的荚膜蛋白。探索外泌体中 Hsp16.3 的分布对于结核病生物标志物的开发很有价值。我们的结果表明，在细胞中过表达的 Hsp16.3 蛋白可以有效地包装到外泌体中。感染 MTB 的 U937 细胞在外泌体中分泌异常过量的 Hsp16.3 蛋白。最后，在结核病患者的血液外泌体中检测到大量 Hsp16.3 蛋白。该研究为 MTB 诊断提供了一种潜在的基于外泌体的结核病生物标志物。