Although Mycobacterium leprae was the first bacterial pathogen identified causing human disease, it remains one of the few that is non-cultivable. Understanding the biology of M. leprae is one of the primary challenges in current leprosy research. Genomics has been extremely valuable, nonetheless, functional proteins are ultimately responsible for controlling most aspects of cellular functions, which in turn could facilitate parasitizing the host. Furthermore, bacterial proteins provide targets for most of the vaccines and immunodiagnostic tools. Better understanding of the proteomics of M. leprae could also help in developing new drugs against M. leprae. During the past nearly 15 years, there have been several developments towards the identification of M. leprae proteins employing contemporary proteomics tools. In this review, we discuss the knowledge gained on the biology and pathogenesis of M. leprae from current proteomic studies.
BT - Scandinavian journal of immunology C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22229831?dopt=Abstract C2 - UK CY - Oxford DA - 2012 Apr DO - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2012.02677.x IS - 4 J2 - Scand. J. Immunol. LA - eng N2 -Although Mycobacterium leprae was the first bacterial pathogen identified causing human disease, it remains one of the few that is non-cultivable. Understanding the biology of M. leprae is one of the primary challenges in current leprosy research. Genomics has been extremely valuable, nonetheless, functional proteins are ultimately responsible for controlling most aspects of cellular functions, which in turn could facilitate parasitizing the host. Furthermore, bacterial proteins provide targets for most of the vaccines and immunodiagnostic tools. Better understanding of the proteomics of M. leprae could also help in developing new drugs against M. leprae. During the past nearly 15 years, there have been several developments towards the identification of M. leprae proteins employing contemporary proteomics tools. In this review, we discuss the knowledge gained on the biology and pathogenesis of M. leprae from current proteomic studies.
PB - Blackwell Publishing Ltd. PP - Oxford PY - 2012 SP - 369 EP - 78 T2 - Scandinavian journal of immunology TI - Advances in Proteomics of Mycobacterium leprae. VL - 75 SN - 1365-3083 ER -