Protein Structure the Latest in TB War

The first detailed structure of the multiprotein complex tuberculosis bacteria need to grow may lead to new drugs, U.S. Department of Energy scientists say.

The March issue of Molecular Microbiology featured a rendition of the structure of the proteasome — a multiprotein complex — on its cover. Two articles described the protein-cleaving complex’s relation to TB-causing bacteria.

If we could find a way to specifically inhibit the activity of this Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteasome, then we might have a new, effective treatment for TB, said Huilin Li, a researcher in the project led by the Brookhaven National Laboratory. Such a treatment might even eradicate TB microbes from infected individuals who show no signs of infection.

The federally funded study said drugs targeting the TB proteasome would have to be very specific to avoid harming normal proteasomes human cells need to remove damaged proteins.

The drug-developing potential is the reason for the detailed study to combat the disease that infects one-third of people worldwide, researchers said.