Catabolism of the Cholesterol Side Chain in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Controlled by a Redox-Sensitive Thiol Switch.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), is a highly successful human pathogen and has infected approximately one-third of the world's population. Multiple drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB strains and coinfection with HIV have increased the challenges of successfully treating this disease pandemic. The metabolism of host cholesterol by Mtb is an important factor for both its virulence and pathogenesis.

FadA5 a thiolase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a steroid-binding pocket reveals the potential for drug development against tuberculosis.

With the exception of HIV, tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of mortality among infectious diseases. The urgent need to develop new antitubercular drugs is apparent due to the increasing number of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains. Proteins involved in cholesterol import and metabolism have recently been discovered as potent targets against TB.

Structural basis for the recognition of mycolic acid precursors by KasA, a condensing enzyme and drug target from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis depends on mycolic acids, very long α-alkyl-β-hydroxy fatty acids comprising 60-90 carbon atoms. However, despite considerable efforts, little is known about how enzymes involved in mycolic acid biosynthesis recognize and bind their hydrophobic fatty acyl substrates. The condensing enzyme KasA is pivotal for the synthesis of very long (C38-42) fatty acids, the precursors of mycolic acids.