Researchers in India have found a gene that aids in the TB bacteria’s survival in the human body. In the ongoing battle against tuberculosis (TB), researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have discovered an important finding.
They have discovered a gene that is essential to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) survival and persistence in human hosts. Published in Science Advances, this discovery may provide new approaches to treating the illness, which continues to rank among the top 10 causes of mortality globally.
Under the direction of Associate Professor Amit Singh of the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, the research team set out to find out how Mtb might spend a long time latent inside the body.
The study’s PhD student, Mayashree Das, clarified that although Mtb may frequently be found and eradicated by the immune system, the bacteria has evolved strategies to hide and survive in areas of the lungs with low oxygen levels, eluding both the immune system’s attack and TB drugs.
Singh’s team at IISc’s Center for Infectious Disease Research cultured Mtb in a Bio Safely Level-3 facility to study the bacterium’s dependence on iron-sulphur clusters.
These clusters are essential for a number of cellular functions, including as respiration and energy synthesis, which allow Mtb to proliferate and cause infection in the lungs’ harsh environment.
Under both normal and low oxygen conditions, the synthesis of these iron-sulfur clusters is mostly regulated by a single gene called IscS, the researchers found.
The scientists noticed that, in contrast to the usual prolonged, chronic infection, the loss of the IscS gene in a mutant Mtb strain resulted in a severe form of the disease in mouse models.
This indicates that the SUF operon is regulated by the IscS gene, which keeps the balance that permits the bacterium to live on in the host.
Additionally, it was discovered that the mutated bacteria were more sensitive to specific antibiotics, suggesting possible new therapeutic directions.
The researchers suggest that using a combination of antibiotics to target the IscS and SUF systems may improve therapy success.
This finding not only clarifies the mechanisms underlying the persistence of tuberculosis but also creates opportunities for the development of treatments intended to eradicate the illness.
The knowledge gathered from the IISc study may potentially result in the eradication of tuberculosis as a danger to global health with further investigation.
