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Structural genomics as an approach towards understanding the biology of tuberculosis

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Structural and Functional Genomics

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a devastating disease of worldwide importance. The availability of the genome sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent, has stimulated a large variety of genome-scale initiatives. These include international structural genomics efforts which have the dual aim of characterising potential new drug targets and addressing key aspects of the biology of Mtb. This review highlights the various ways in which structural analysis has illuminated the biological activities of Mtb gene products, which were previously of unknown or uncertain function. Key information comes from the protein fold, from bound ligands, solvent molecules, ions etc. or from unexpectedly modified amino acid residues. Most importantly, the three dimensional structure of a protein permits the integration of data from many sources, both bioinformatic and experimental, to develop testable functional hypotheses. This has led to many new insights into TB biology.

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Acknowledgements

I gratefully acknowledge Heather Baker and Tom Caradoc-Davies for help with the illustrations used in this article; Jim Sacchettini, David Eisenberg, Tom Terwilliger and Matthias Wilmanns for helpful suggestions; and the wider membership of the International TB Structural Genomics Consortium for the stimulating environment in which this research has taken place. Research at the University of Auckland is funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and the Maurice Wilkins Centre, through the Centres of Research Excellence fund, and is the work of many outstanding postdoctoral and graduate student researchers.

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  1. Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery and School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    Edward N. Baker

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  1. Edward N. Baker
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Correspondence to Edward N. Baker.

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Baker, E.N. Structural genomics as an approach towards understanding the biology of tuberculosis. J Struct Funct Genomics 8, 57–65 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10969-007-9020-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10969-007-9020-9

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