Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Carbohydrate Science and Department of Chemistry, The University of Alberta, Gunning-Lemieux Chemistry Centre, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G2, Canada.
Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2009 Dec;13(5-6):618-25. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.09.012. Epub 2009 Oct 3.
The cell wall of mycobacteria, including the causative agents of the human diseases tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and leprosy (M. leprae), is composed of an array of carbohydrate-containing molecules. These glycoconjugates are assembled by glycosyltransferases (GTs) that work in tandem through pathways that are only now beginning to be fully understood. Given the essentiality of cell wall glycans to mycobacterial viability, these enzymes represent novel targets for drug action. Summarized here are recent genetic and biochemical studies leading to the identification and characterization of mycobacterial GTs.
分枝杆菌的细胞壁，包括引起人类疾病结核病（结核分枝杆菌）和麻风病（麻风分枝杆菌）的病原体，由一系列含有碳水化合物的分子组成。这些糖缀合物是由糖苷转移酶（GTs）通过途径组装而成的，这些途径现在才开始被充分理解。鉴于细胞壁糖对于分枝杆菌生存能力的重要性，这些酶代表了药物作用的新靶点。本文总结了最近的遗传和生化研究，这些研究导致了分枝杆菌 GTs 的鉴定和表征。
