IISc Bangalore, NCBS Bangalore, DBT-inStem jointly discover important mechanism related to Tuberculosis

They found that a single gene involved in the production of iron-sulphur clusters could be crucial for the persistence of the TB bacterium. Read here for more details.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in collaboration with NCBS and InStem, have uncovered an important mechanism that allows the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium to persist in the human host for decades. The study suggests that a single gene involved in the production of iron-sulphur clusters could be crucial for the persistence of the TB bacterium. 

“Due to persistence, there is a bacterial reservoir in a subset of the human population at any point which can reactivate and cause infection. Unless we understand persistence, we will not be able to eradicate TB,” says Amit Singh, Associate Professor at MCB and corresponding author of the study.

Singh’s team grew Mtb in liquid cultures containing special supplements needed for its growth in a state-of-the-art Bio Safely Level-3 facility at the Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR), IISc. Several proteins in Mtb depend on iron-sulphur clusters for functioning. These clusters consist of iron and sulphur atoms organised in various configurations like chains or cuboids. The iron atoms in the cluster can pass on electrons from one site of a protein complex to another in cellular reactions such as respiration and carbon metabolism.

“The iron-sulphur cluster-containing proteins are important for essential processes such as energy production by respiration, enabling the bacteria to survive harsh conditions of the lungs and causing infection. So, we wanted to study the mechanisms that Mtb uses to build these iron-sulphur clusters,” explains Singh.

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