Gene expression profiling analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis genes in response to salicylate

Salicylate stimulates the oxygen consumption and also induces multiple drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. To gain insight into the mechanisms involved in the above observations, a microarray analysis of M. tuberculosis genes in response to salicylate was performed. Salicylate, besides highly inducing the 27 kD gene (Rv0560c) previously identified as highly salicylate-inducible, also caused increased transcription of a range of genes including an open reading frame (Rv0559c) that is located immediately downstream of the 27 kD gene, and some membrane/transmembrane proteins that may serve as potential efflux pumps or porins. Salicylate also caused a general shutdown of transcription and translation and energy production by down-regulating a range of genes involved in RNA and protein synthesis and ATP synthesis. The role of the salicylate-regulated genes in salicylate induced drug resistance and its unique effect on stimulating oxygen consumption in tubercle bacillus is discussed.