title: Nitrogen metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis physiology and virulence.
abstract: Several major pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, parasitize host cells and exploit host-derived nutrients to sustain their own metabolism. Although the carbon sources that are used by M. tuberculosis have been extensively studied, the mechanisms by which mycobacteria capture and metabolize nitrogen, which is another essential constituent of biomolecules, have only recently been revisited. In this Progress article, we discuss central nitrogen metabolism in M. tuberculosis, the mechanisms that are used by this pathogen to obtain nitrogen from its host and the potential role of nitrogen capture and metabolism in virulence.
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Toulouse, France. Present address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gouzy
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Toulouse, France, and the Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Poquet
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Toulouse, France, and the Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Neyrolles
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen