Drug targets from M. tuberculosis

In Collaboration with Prof. Ted Baker

We have recently solved the structure of two enzymes known to be essential for the bacterium to cause disease: anthranilate phosphoribosyl transferase (AnPRT; TrpD), the enzyme which catalyses the second committed step in tryptophan biosynthesis, and salicylate synthase (MbtI) which catalyses the production of salicylate, essential for the production of the siderophore mycobactin.. Through a combination of in silico modelling and in vitro assay, we have identified a set of weak AnPRT inhibitors, and we are set to embark on the structure-guided synthesis of potent inhibitors of both enzymes, which may be useful anti-mycobacterial agents of the future.