Scientists discover how TB controls its growth, revealing new ways to fight the global disease
New research has shown that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) controls its growth by modifying its DNA.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/1200xauto/public/2021-09/TB%20GettyImages-181394718.jpg?itok=YEfvKFqp)
The research team behind the study, led by the University of Surrey and the University of Oxford, propose that this identifies a new target for antibiotics against tuberculosis (TB).
TB is usually caused by the MTB bacterium, and it grows very slowly, allowing it to cause infections that may last a lifetime. One-quarter of the world’s population may be infected with TB without knowing they have it, and it is estimated that TB causes around 1.3 million deaths each year.
In a study published in Nature, the research team reveal that the newly discovered DNA modification system involves two enzymes, DarT and DarG, that reversibly modify chromosomal DNA to create a ‘switch’ that coordinates bacterial replication. By interfering with the DarT/DarG system, it becomes massively toxic to the bacterium and represents the target for a new class of antibiotics.
Graham Stewart, Professor of Molecular Bacteriology at the University of Surrey and lead author of the study, said: “Before Covid-19, tuberculosis killed more people each year than any other infectious disease, and it will regain its infamy once the pandemic subsides.
“Tuberculosis is a global health emergency and current antibiotics are becoming ineffective. This study describes a genuinely new piece of DNA biology that could be targeted by new antibiotics.”
Media Contacts
External Communications and PR team
Phone: +44 (0)1483 684380 / 688914 / 684378
Email: mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk
Out of hours: +44 (0)7773 479911