Biochemical and structural investigations on phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase from Mycobacterium smegmatis

Biochemical and structural investigations on phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase from Mycobacterium smegmatis

Mycobacterium smegmatis represents one model for studying the biology of its pathogenic relative Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The structural characterization of a M. tuberculosis ortholog protein can serve as a valid tool for the development of molecules active against the M. tuberculosis target. In this context, we report the biochemical and structural characterization of M. smegmatis phosphori...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate Synthetase: Biochemical Features of a Crucial Enzyme for Mycobacterial Cell Wall Biosynthesis

The selection and soaring spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant strains (XDR-TB) is a severe public health problem. Currently, there is an urgent need for new drugs for tuberculosis treatment, with novel mechanisms of action and, moreover, the necessity to identify new drug targets. Mycobacterial phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase (...

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase superactivity

siderophore from Mycobacterium smegmatis

The extracellular siderophore from Mycobacterium smegmatis, exochelin MS, was isolated from iron-deficiently grown cultures and purified to > 98 % by a combination of ion-exchange chromatography and h.p.l.c. The material is unextractable into organic solvents, is basic (pI = 9.3-9.5), has a Amax. at 420 nm and a probable K. for Fe3+ of between 1025 and 1030. Its structure has been determined by...

Amylooligosaccharides from Mycobacterium smegmatis.

In early stationary phase of growth, Mycobacterium smegmatis cultures accumulate amylooligosaccharides (alpha 1 leads to 4-glucooligosaccharides) up to the undecasaccharide. Although M. smegmatis also makes an acylated polymethylpolysaccharide that is predominantly and alpha 1 leads to 4-glucan, we conclude that these oligosaccharides are precursors of glycogen rather than lopopolysaccharide.