Prof. Nicole Sampson, Stony Brook University

Mycobacteria on Steroids: Metabolomics and Pathogenesis

New drugs with novel mechanisms of action are required to meet the severe threat to human health posed by the emergence of multidrug and extensively drug resistant strains of M. tuberculosis (M. tb). The ability of M. tb to metabolize cholesterol is critical for the maintenance of the M. tb infection; both the igr operon and fadA5 are required for in vitro growth using cholesterol as a sole carbon source. However, mutation of these genes involved in cholesterol metabolism results in different in vivo phenotypes. We are elucidating the function of these genes, their corresponding enzymes, and their role in cholesterol metabolism using a combination of transcriptional profiling, bioinformatics, enzymology, biochemistry, and metabolic phenotype screening. Ultimately, understanding cholesterol metabolism at the molecular level will direct drug discovery towards novel targets that attenuate M. tb growth and persistence in vivo.

For more information contact Prof. Andrew Lyon (404-894-4090).