The methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis as a target for the development of new drugs against tuberculosis
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
C Obiol-Pardo1, J Rubio-Martinez, S Imperial
1Departament de Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and Institut de Recerca en Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Martí i Franquès 1, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
Tuberculosis remains a major infectious disease to humans. It accounts for approximately 8-9 million new cases worldwide and an estimated 1.6 million deaths annually. Effective treatments for tuberculosis consist of a combination of several drugs administered over long periods of time. Since Mycobacterium tuberculosis often acquires multiple drug resistant mechanisms, development of new drugs with innovative actions is urgently required. The 2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway, in charge of the essential biosynthesis of isoprenoids, represents a promising and selective target for developing new drugs against tuberculosis. To date, only fosmidomycin, a molecule that targets the second enzyme of the MEP pathway, has reached clinical trials but recent advances elucidating the structure and kinetics of the MEP enzymes are likely to change this scenario. This review describes the structure, mechanism of action and inhibitors of the seven enzymes of the MEP pathway, with special attention to the reported studies in M. tuberculosis.
Related Concept Videos
Biosynthesis of Lipids
Other Glycolytic Pathways
Production of Antibiotics
Production of Pharmaceuticals
Pulmonary Tuberculosis V
Latent tuberculosis infection occurs when TB bacteria are present in a person's body, but are not causing illness or symptoms. It is not contagious, and preventive treatment is crucial to avoid the progression...
Phase II Reactions: Methylation Reactions
The mechanism of methylation unfolds in two stages. The first stage sees a methyltransferase enzyme facilitating the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to the substrate, forming S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). The second stage involves further metabolism of SAH into homocysteine, which can be recycled...
