IN SILICO ANALYSIS OF MMPL GENE FAMILY OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS: A NOVEL TARGET FOR ANTI–TB DRUGS

AFTAB ALAM; SHAHNAWAZ ALI; ZUBBAIR MALIK; ROMANA ISHRAT

Volume : V, Issue : I, January - 2016

IN SILICO ANALYSIS OF MMPL GENE FAMILY OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS: A NOVEL TARGET FOR ANTI–TB DRUGS

Aftab Alam, Shahnawaz Ali, Zubbair Malik, Romana Ishrat

Abstract :

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an infectious agent of human tuberculosis. The genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed that 13 memane proteins of MmpL family play important role in drug efflux system. With the evolution of tuberculosis to Multi drug resistant tuberculosis and Extensive drug resistant, there is an urgent need of the new drugs for the less known MmpL family of transporters. With an initial assumption that MmpL is critically responsible for the host–pathogen contact, we analyzed MmpL protein family to uncover the important aspects like their structure, function, sub–cellular location, and domains. In this work we predicted function of each protein of MmpL family and two sets of important residues that are actively taking part in the transport mechanism and are presented as a promiscuous target. The present approach is an effective method in understanding the common mechanism of their function at molecular level; moreover, this study will help in developing more potent inhibitors that would worth in treating wide range of infections. Thus, this protein will serve a better target for devising new therapies. We hope that the information on MmpL protein family will be innovatory for further in–vitro analysis of this disease.