Mycobacterium tuberculosis chorismate mutase (MtbCM) catalyzes the rearrangement of chorismate to prephenate in the shikimate biosynthetic pathway to form the essential amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Two genes encoding chorismate mutase have been identified in Mtb. The secretory form,∗MtbCM (encoded by Rv1885c) is assumed to play a key role in pathogenesis of tuberculosis. Also, the inhibition of MtbCM may hinder the supply of nutrients to the organism. Indeed, the existence of chorismate mutase (CM) in bacteria, fungi and higher plants but not in human and low sequence homology amongst known CM makes it an interesting target for the discovery of anti-tubercular agents. The present article mainly focuses on the recent developments in the structure, function and inhibition of MtbCM. The understanding of various aspects of MtbCM as presented in the current article may facilitate the design and subsequent chemical synthesis of new inhibitors against ∗MtbCM, that could lead to the discovery and development of novel and potent anti-tubercular agents in future.

中文翻译：

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结核分枝杆菌分支酸突变酶：结核病的潜在靶标

结核分枝杆菌分支酸突变酶（MtbCM）催化分支酸重排为pre草酸酯生物合成途径中的苯甲酸酯，形成必需氨基酸，苯丙氨酸和酪氨酸。在Mtb中已鉴定出两个编码分支酸盐变位酶的基因。分泌形式* MtbCM（由Rv1885c编码）被认为在结核病的发病机理中起关键作用。同样，对MtbCM的抑制作用可能会阻碍向生物体提供营养。确实，细菌，真菌和高等植物中分支酸突变酶（CM）的存在，但是人与人之间的低序列同源性以及已知CM之间的低序列同源性使其成为发现抗结核剂的有趣靶标。本文主要关注MtbCM的结构，功能和抑制作用的最新进展。