In their efforts to find new drug targets against tuberculosis, Indian researchers have identified the role of a protein which is critical for the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).

Researchers at the National Institute of Immunology (NII) in collaboration with CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) have determined the role of FtsQ, a critical cell division protein and shown that both increasing and decreasing amounts of this protein in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) hampers its growth and division patterns.

This work builds upon research to understand the regulatory roles of set of enzymes known as protein kinases in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. “We were investigating the role of phosphorylation, a process which involves addition of phosphate group, of protein in controlling cell division. Interestingly, Cell division protein FtsQ was identified as one of the targets undergoing such regulatory modification,” said study leader Dr. Vinay Kumar Nandicoori.

The studies involved investigating various aspects of this pathogen related to its growth regulation, cell division and its survival in the hostile environment of the host cells. “While humans are the natural hosts of Mtb, for research purpose we use cell lines and mice models of infection,” he added.

Preeti Jain, first author in this study, said, “We sought to understand how these pathogenic bacteria grow and divide from one cell into two daughter cells and how the process is controlled. While a lot is known about the proteins involved in cell division regulation in other bacteria, the identity of the majority of proteins in Mtb is still unknown.”

It was found that modifying optimum protein levels of FtsQ inside Mtb significantly influenced the average cell length, an outcome of abnormal cell division. While the initial decrease in the cellular concentration resulted in smaller cells, upon further decrease they became larger which eventually led to death.