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Nitrogen metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis physiology and virulence

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 12, pages 729–737 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Several major pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, parasitize host cells and exploit host-derived nutrients to sustain their own metabolism. Although the carbon sources that are used by M. tuberculosis have been extensively studied, the mechanisms by which mycobacteria capture and metabolize nitrogen, which is another essential constituent of biomolecules, have only recently been revisited. In this Progress article, we discuss central nitrogen metabolism in M. tuberculosis, the mechanisms that are used by this pathogen to obtain nitrogen from its host and the potential role of nitrogen capture and metabolism in virulence.

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Figure 1: Regulation of central nitrogen metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Figure 2: Mechanisms for the acquisition of inorganic and organic nitrogen sources.
Figure 3: Emerging roles for nitrogen metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence.

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Acknowledgements

A.G. is a fellow of the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM). The authors received no specific funding for this work. Research in the laboratory of O.N. is supported by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the FRM, the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), the European Union, the Fondation Mérieux, and the Bettencourt–Schueller Foundation. The funding agencies had no role in the decision to publish this article or in its preparation.

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  1. Alexandre Gouzy

    Present address: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Toulouse, France. Present address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York 10021, USA.,

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    Yannick Poquet & Olivier Neyrolles

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Gouzy, A., Poquet, Y. & Neyrolles, O. Nitrogen metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis physiology and virulence. Nat Rev Microbiol 12, 729–737 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3349

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