title: Tuberculosis: a balanced diet of lipids and carbohydrates.
abstract: In spite of effective antibiotics to treat TB (tuberculosis) since the early 1960s, we enter the new millennium with TB currently the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, killing more than 3 million people worldwide each year. Thus an understanding of drug-resistance mechanisms, the immunobiology of cell wall components to elucidate host-pathogen interactions and the discovery of new drug targets are now required for the treatment of TB. Above the plasma membrane is a classical chemotype IV peptidoglycan to which is attached the macromolecular structure, mycolyl-arabinogalactan via a unique diglycosylphosphoryl bridge. The present review discusses the assembly of the mAGP (mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan) complex and the site of action of EMB (ethambutol), bringing forward a new era in TB research and focus for new drugs to combat multidrug-resistant TB.
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Veemal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bhowruth
authors.forename: Luke J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Alderwick
authors.forename: Alistair K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Apoorva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhatt
authors.forename: Gurdyal S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Besra
mesh_terms: D000904:Antibiotics, Antitubercular / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004032:Diet; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000904:Antibiotics, Antitubercular; D002241:Carbohydrates; D008055:Lipids