Naor N, Gadot O, Meir M, Barkan D. Peptide Deformylase (def) is essential in Mycobacterium smegmatis, but the essentiality is compensated by inactivation of methionine formylation.
BMC Microbiol 2019;
19:232. [PMID:
31655553 PMCID:
PMC6815462 DOI:
10.1186/s12866-019-1611-7]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Co-translational processes in bacteria are attractive drug targets, but while some processes are essential, others are not. The essentiality of Peptide Deformylase (PDF, def) for vitality of mycobacteria was speculated, but never unequivocally proven.
Results
Here we show by targeted deletion experiments that def can only be deleted from M. smegmatis when an additional copy is present; that prior deletion of tRNAfMet-Formyl Transferase (FMT, encoded by fmt) renders def completely dispensable; and that re-introduction of fmt into a Δdef mutant is not possible – constituting a definitive proof for the essentiality of def in mycobacteria.
Conclusions
Peptide deformylase is essential in M. smegmatis, but the fact that inactivation of fmt renders the gene completely dispensable, and thus any inhibitor of def useless, casts doubt on the usefulness of PDF as a drug-target in mycobacteria.
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