It has long been reported that Mycobacterium tuberculosis is capable of synthesizing the α-glucan glycogen. However, what makes this bacterium stand out is that it coats itself in a capsule that mainly consists of a glycogen-like α-glucan. This polymer helps the pathogen evade immune responses. In 2010, the biosynthesis of α-glucans has been shown to not only involve the classical enzymes of glycogen metabolism but also a distinct GlgE pathway. Since then, this pathway has attracted attention not least in terms of the quest for new inhibitors that could be developed into new treatments for tuberculosis. Some lines of recent inquiry have shed a lot of light on to how GlgE catalyses the polymerization of α-glucan, using α-maltose 1-phosphate (M1P) as a building block and how the pathways are regulated. Nevertheless, many unanswered questions remain regarding the synthesis and role of α-glucans in mycobacteria and the numerous other bacteria that possess the GlgE pathway.
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February 2016
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Cover Image
Scanning electron micrograph of a cell from the endosperm of a barley grain. The cell is tightly packed with large, disk-shaped (A-type) and much smaller, almost spherical (B-type) starch granules. The smooth areas in this image are the surface of the cell walls of neighbouring endosperm cells. For further details see pp. 157-163. Image kindly provided by Elaine Barclay and Vasilios Andriotis (John Innes Centre, Norwich). - PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Review Article|
February 09 2016
α-Glucan biosynthesis and the GlgE pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Stephen Bornemann
Stephen Bornemann
1
*Biological Chemistry Department, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, U.K.
1email stephen.bornemann@jic.ac.uk
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 02 2015
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2016 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited
2016
Biochem Soc Trans (2016) 44 (1): 68–73.
Article history
Received:
November 02 2015
Citation
Stephen Bornemann; α-Glucan biosynthesis and the GlgE pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Biochem Soc Trans 15 February 2016; 44 (1): 68–73. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20150181
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