Understanding the structure, activity and inhibition of chorismate synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is considered a worldwide health problem mainly due to co-infection with HIV and proliferation of multi-drug-resistant strains. The enzymes of the shikimate pathway are potential targets for the development of new therapies because they are essential for bacteria, but absent from mammals. The last step in this pathway is performed by chorismate synthase (CS), which catalyzes the conversion of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) to chorismate. The aim of this article is to review the available information on chorismate synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.