A recA deletion mutant of Mycobacterium bovis BCG confers protection equivalent to that of wild-type BCG but shows increased genetic stability

Sander, P; Böttger, E C; Springer, B; Steinmann, B; Rezwan, M; Stavropoulos, E; Colston, M J

doi:10.5167/uzh-3255

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Sander, P., Böttger, E. C., Springer, B., Steinmann, B., Rezwan, M., Stavropoulos, E., & Colston, M. J. (2003). A recA deletion mutant of Mycobacterium bovis BCG confers protection equivalent to that of wild-type BCG but shows increased genetic stability. Vaccine, 21, 4124–4127. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0264-410X(03)00434-1

Abstract

The widely used vaccine against tuberculosis, BCG, shows evidence of genetic instability. It has undergone major genetic rearrangements resulting in deletion and duplication of segments of its chromosome. In order to produce a BCG strain with more favourable genetic properties, we inactivated the recA gene. Targeted deletion of the recA gene of BCG resulted in a complete loss of recombination between homologous, chromosomally-located sequences, as well as between plasmid- and chromosomally-located sequences. The deltarecA mutant BCG w