01386nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002600055653002500081653001600106653004200122653003100164653001400195100001000209700001600219245010000235300001200335490000700347520080000354022001401154       2012                            d  c2012 Sep10aAntitubercular Agents10aDNA-Binding Proteins10aDrug Design10aGene Expression Regulation, Bacterial10aMycobacterium tuberculosis10aVirulence1 aLiu J1 aGordon BR G00aTargeting the global regulator Lsr2 as a novel approach for anti-tuberculosis drug development.  a1049-530 v103 a<p>Leprosy serum reactive clone 2 (Lsr2; Rv3597c) is a recently identified nucleoid-associated protein that acts as a global transcriptional regulator of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Strikingly, Lsr2 appears to play a critical role in controlling the expression of virulence-associated genes. Here the authors outline the current knowledge concerning this novel global regulator and its potential as a target for chemotherapeutic intervention. Compounds that induce high level expression of lsr2 may lead to abolishment of virulence traits and render the bacterium incapable of causing infection and/or disease. Alternatively, compounds that either silence lsr2 expression or block the protein's function could be lethal since it has been postulated that lsr2 is essential in M. tuberculosis.</p>  a1744-8336