--Kate Devine
The discovery of an enzyme critical to the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), could open the door to a new TB therapy that's more effective than those currently available (J.D. McKinney et al., "Persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in macrophages and mice requires the glyoxylate shunt enzyme isocitrate lyase," Nature, 406:735-8, Aug. 17, 2000). Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, collaborating with researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Rockefeller University, found that an enzyme called isocitrate lyase (ICL) helps the bacterium acquire sustenance by degrading fatty acids. Investigators showed that unlike mice infected with normal M. tuberculosis, those infected with recombinant bacteria missing ICL were able to eventually eliminate the infection. The ICL metabolic pathway is a particularly attractive drug target because it is likely active even while the bacteria are lying dormant for months or years in the host. ...
