10 kDa culture filtrate antigen CFP-10 (CFP-10)

10 kDa culture filtrate antigen CFP-10 (also known as EsxB) is a low-molecular-weight protein secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is essential for its virulence [2, 8]. It forms a stable 1:1 heterodimeric complex with the early secreted antigenic target 6 (ESAT-6), which is secreted via the Type VII secretion system (ESX-1) [2, 10]. This complex facilitates the escape of the pathogen from the host macrophage's phagosome into the cytoplasm, a critical step for bacterial survival and replication [12, 16]. CFP-10 also modulates host immune responses by inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, suppressing autophagy, and activating neutrophils through a G-protein-coupled receptor [8, 9, 14]. In clinical applications, CFP-10 is a major T-cell antigen used in interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) to diagnose tuberculosis infection, as it is absent in the BCG vaccine strain [1, 3, 17]. While no small-molecule drugs currently target CFP-10, it is a key component in several experimental vaccines, such as the live-attenuated MTBVAC and the subunit vaccine H56:IC31 [11, 17]. Research is ongoing into anti-virulence therapies that aim to disrupt the ESAT-6/CFP-10 complex or its secretion to attenuate the pathogen's ability to subvert host defenses [12].

Other names

EsxBMTSA-10Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigen 10L-ESAT-6-like protein esxBRv3874

Vaccine antigen for induction of cellular immune response; diagnostic antigen for interferon-gamma release assays.