Mycobacterial PE/PPE Proteins at the Host-Pathogen Interface

Figure 1

Schematic representation of PE and PPE family subgroups. PE and PPE proteins possess relatively conserved N-terminal domains of approximately 110 aa and 180 aa, respectively. One subgroup of the PPE family incorporates a characteristic “SVP” motif at approximately 350 aa. Both PE and PPE families can be divided into distinct subgroups on the basis of their variable C-terminal domains. The regions encoded by the Polymorphic GC-Rich Sequence (PGRS) of the pe family and the Major Polymorphic Tandem Repeats (MPTR) of the ppe family are major contributors to genome polymorphism.