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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Biofilms
Published on: February 15, 2012
Cell wall peptidoglycan in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: An Achilles' heel for the TB-causing pathogen
Arundhati Maitra1, Tulika Munshi1, Jess Healy2
1Mycobacteria Research Laboratory, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK.
None:
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains one of the leading causes of mortality across the world. There is an urgent requirement to build a robust arsenal of effective antimicrobials, targeting novel molecular mechanisms to overcome the challenges posed by the increase of antibiotic resistance in TB. Mycobacterium tuberculosis has a unique cell envelope structure and composition, containing a peptidoglycan layer that is essential for maintaining cellular integrity and for virulence. The enzymes involved in the biosynthesis, degradation, remodelling and recycling of peptidoglycan have resurfaced as attractive targets for anti-infective drug discovery. Here, we review the importance of peptidoglycan, including the structure, function and regulation of key enzymes involved in its metabolism. We also discuss known inhibitors of ATP-dependent Mur ligases, and discuss the potential for the development of pan-enzyme inhibitors targeting multiple Mur ligases.
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