Patent attributes
The present invention provides mutant Mycobacterium strains harboring a modified tyrosine phosphatase gene (mptpA or mptpB) wherein the mutant Mycobacterium strain is incapable of expressing the active tyrosine phosphatase. The invention provides a method for developing the said mutant strain from either Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycobacterium bovis. The mptpA or mptpB gene may be modified by replacing the internal sequences with an antibiotic resistance marker gene, which disrupts the expression of the active gene. The invention further provides a recombinant vector comprising the modified mptpA or mptpB which may be used to develop the mutant strains of mycobacteria. The invention provides a method to assess the role of tyrosine phosphatases MptpA and MptpB in the virulence and pathogenesis of Mycobacterium which can be used as potential targets for developing anti-tubercular drug.
