Breaking the energy chain: importance of ATP synthase in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its potential as a drug target

Abstract

Unveiling novel pathways for drug discovery forms the foundation of a new era in the combat against tuberculosis. The discovery of a novel drug, bedaquiline, targeting mycobacterial ATP synthase highlighted the targetability of the energy metabolism pathway. The significant potency of bedaquiline against heterogeneous population of Mycobacterium tuberculosis marks ATP synthase as an important complex of the electron transport chain. This review focuses on the importance and unique characteristics of mycobacterial ATP synthase. Understanding these distinctions enables the targeting of ATP synthase subunits for drug discovery, without aiming at the mammalian counterpart. Furthermore, a brief comparison of the structural differences between mycobacterial and mitochondrial ATP synthase is discussed. Being a complex multi-subunit protein, ATP synthase offers multiple sites for potential inhibitors, including the a, c, ε, γ, and δ subunits. Inhibitors targeting these subunits are critically reviewed, providing insight into the design of better and more potent chemical entities with the potential for effective treatment regimens.