This study shows that limiting sulfur availability in Mycobacterium tuberculosis increases its vulnerability to antibiotics and enhances drug efficacy in a mouse model.

bioRxiv · Jul 31, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology

Cholesterol-activated VapC12 toxin modulates growth and drug susceptibility in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Zohra Hashmi, Shivendra Pratap Singh, Sakshi Talwar, Abhin Kumar Megta, Mitul Srivastava, Debapriyo Sarmadhikari, Prabhakar Babele, Sourabh Kundu, Taruna Sharma, Chandresh Sharma, Shailendra Asthana, Vengadesan Krishnan, Amit Kumar Pandey

This study identifies a cholesterol-binding motif in the VapC12 toxin of M. tuberculosis and shows that cholesterol activates the toxin, reducing bacterial growth and antibiotic susceptibility.

bioRxiv · Oct 10, 2025 · PreprintMicrobiology

Methionine modulates the metabolic-epigenetic axis as immunotherapeutic in tuberculosis

Nidhi Raj Yadav, Ashish Kumar Gupta, Soumya Sahoo, Suchitra Jena, Nainy Goel, Mothe Sravya, Tundup Namgail, Nupur Sharma, Someshwar Nath Jha, Bhishma Narayan Panda, Nimesh Gupta, Jaswinder Singh Maras, Amit Kumar Pandey, Shyam Kumar Masakapalli, Debasis Dash, Ranjan Kumar Nanda

This study shows methionine supplementation enhances pro-inflammatory responses and mycobacterial clearance in tuberculosis by modulating host metabolism and epigenetic pathways.

bioRxiv · Oct 7, 2025 · PreprintImmunology

Phosphoglucomutase A mediated regulation of carbon flux is essential for antibiotic and disease persistence in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Taruna Sharma, Shaifali Tyagi, Rahul Pal, Jayendrajyoti Kundu, Sonu Kumar Gupta, Vishawjeet Barik, Vaibhav Kumar Nain, Manitosh Pandey, Prabhanjan Dwivedi, Bhishma Narayan Panda, Yashwant Kumar, Ranjan Kumar Nanda, Samrat Chatterjee, Amit Kumar Pandey

This study shows that phosphoglucomutase A (pgmA) is essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival under nutrient-limiting conditions and disease persistence.

mSystems · Jun 30, 2025Peer-reviewedMicrobiology

pH dependent direct sulfhydrylation pathway is required for the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Vaibhav Kumar Nain, Vishawjeet Barik, Manitosh Pandey, Mohit Pareek, Taruna Sharma, Rahul Pal, Shaifali Tyagi, Manish Bajpai, Prabhanjan Dwivedi, Bhishma Narayan Panda, Yashwant Kumar, Shailendra Asthana, Amit Kumar Pandey

This study shows that the direct sulfhydrylation pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential for growth at low pH and modulates BDQ sensitivity.

Communications Biology · Apr 19, 2025Peer-reviewedMicrobiology