Hypoxanthine-Guanine Phosphoribosyltransferase Is Dispensable for Mycobacterium smegmatis Viability.

ABSTRACT: Purine metabolism plays a ubiquitous role in the physiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacteria. The purine salvage enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) is essential for M. tuberculosis growth in vitro; however, its precise role in M. tuberculosis physiology is unclear. Membrane-permeable prodrugs of specifically designed HGPRT inhibitors arrest the growth of M. tuberculosis and represent potential new antituberculosis compounds. Here, we investigated the purine salvage pathway in the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis Using genomic deletion analysis, we confirmed that HGPRT is the only guanine and hypoxanthine salvage enzyme in M. smegmatis but is not required for in vitro growth of this

SUBMITTER: Knejzlik Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7015712 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature