Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 20, 2025

Author Spotlight: Identifying Compensatory Pathways in Malaria Parasites Containing Hypomorphic Allele of Essential Protein Kinases
09:13

Author Spotlight: Identifying Compensatory Pathways in Malaria Parasites Containing Hypomorphic Allele of Essential Protein Kinases

Published on: November 22, 2024

1.5K

Protein kinase G-a key regulator of pathogenesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Anjali K Mahato1, Rupal Rai1, Rashmi Chourasia2

  • 1Molecular Signalling Lab, Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, MP, India.

Archives of Microbiology
|May 28, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Protein Kinase G (PknG) is crucial for Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival within host cells. Targeting PknG offers a promising strategy against drug-resistant tuberculosis and latent infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health challenge, driven by drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and pathogen persistence within macrophages.
  • Protein Kinase G (PknG), a secreted serine/threonine kinase, is essential for M. tuberculosis intracellular survival and virulence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a comprehensive review of PknG's structural features and its diverse roles in M. tuberculosis pathogenesis.
  • To highlight recent advancements in developing PknG inhibitors as a potential therapeutic strategy against TB.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing existing research on PknG structure, function, and inhibition.
  • Analysis of PknG's involvement in key pathogenic mechanisms like immune evasion and host cell modulation.

Main Results:

  • PknG subverts host defenses by inhibiting phagosome-lysosome fusion, promoting acid tolerance, and suppressing autophagy.
  • PknG plays a role in metabolic reprogramming and bacterial cell wall remodeling.
  • Small-molecule inhibitors targeting PknG show therapeutic promise.

Conclusions:

  • PknG is a central mediator of M. tuberculosis pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions.
  • Targeting PknG represents a viable strategy for developing novel anti-TB therapies, particularly for drug-tolerant and latent infections.
Keywords:
Mycobacterium tuberculosisDrug targetPknGProtein kinaseTB drugs

More Related Videos

Preparation of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Culture Filtrate to Understand TB Pathogenesis07:32

Preparation of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Culture Filtrate to Understand TB Pathogenesis

Published on: March 28, 2025

602
Fluorescence Assays for the Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Interaction with the Immune Receptor SLAMF107:42

Fluorescence Assays for the Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Interaction with the Immune Receptor SLAMF1

Published on: February 28, 2025

583

Related Concept Videos

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway

The mammalian target of rapamycin  (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1  (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2  (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast,  mTORC2 consists of a...
4.0K
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway01:20

The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway

Several cytokine receptors have tightly bound Janus kinase or JAK proteins attached at their cytosolic tail. Small signaling molecules such as cytokines, growth hormones, or prolactins bind to the cytokine receptors and initiate their dimerization. The dimerization brings the cytosolic JAKs together that trans-phosphorylate and activates each other. The activated JAKs now phosphorylate cytosolic tails of the cytokine receptors, which serve as binding sites for adaptor proteins such as  SH2...
9.3K
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
3.9K
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade01:22

Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

When a ligand binds to a cell-surface receptor, the receptor's intracellular domain changes shape, which may either activate its enzyme function or allow its binding to other molecules. The initial signal is amplified by most signal transduction pathways. This means that a single ligand molecule can activate multiple molecules of a downstream target. Proteins that relay a signal are most commonly phosphorylated at one or more sites, activating or inactivating the protein. Kinases catalyze...
9.9K
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
6.2K
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways01:25

cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways

Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP) is an essential second messenger that activates protein kinase A (PKA) and regulates various biological processes. A single epinephrine molecule binds to GPCR and activates several heterotrimeric G proteins, each stimulating multiple adenylyl cyclase, amplifying the signal, and synthesizing large numbers of cAMP molecules. Small changes in cAMP concentration affect PKA activity. The binding of four cAMP molecules induces a conformational change in PKA,...
6.7K