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Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Biofilms
Published on: February 15, 2012
Generation and characterization of thiol-deficient Mycobacterium tuberculosis mutants
C Sao Emani1,2, M J Williams1, P D Van Helden1
1NRF/DST Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research; South African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research; Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg 8000, Cape Town, South Africa.
Abstract:
Mycothiol (MSH) and ergothioneine (ERG) are thiols able to compensate for each other to protect mycobacteria against oxidative stress. Gamma-glutamylcysteine (GGC), another thiol and an intermediate in ERG biosynthesis has detoxification abilities. Five enzymes are involved in ERG biosynthesis, namely EgtA, EgtB, EgtC, EgtD and EgtE. The role of these enzymes in the production of ERG had been unclear. On the other hand, the enzyme MshA is known to be essential for MSH biosynthesis. In this manuscript, we describe the raw data of the generation and characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) mutants harbouring a deletion of the gene coding for each of these enzymes, and the raw data of the phenotypic characterization of the obtained thiol-deficient M.tb mutants. High throughput screening (HTS) of off-patent drugs and natural compounds revealed few compounds that displayed a higher activity against the thiol-deficient mutants relative to the wild-type strain. The mode of action of these drugs was further investigated. Raw data displaying these results are described here.
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