The Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Twin-Arginine Translocation Pathway

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis. It is difficult to study biochemically because of its slow growth rate and its pathogenicity, which requires BSL3 conditions. The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway of MTb is essential for its growth and virulence1. The Musser lab has worked on the Escherichia coli Tat system for over 12 years and has developed numerous biochemical and biophysical assays. This expertise will now be applied toward the MTb Tat machinery. Our hypothesis is that the Tat system is a good drug target because it is essential for the growth and function of MTb. The proposed work seeks to express the MTb Tat proteins in E. coli to more easily functionally study the MTb Tat machinery. The major outcome of a successful project will be a functional in vitro MTb Tat transport assay that can be used for biochemical studies, and, in particular, for drug development.