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New Insights Into Mycofactocin Biosynthesis, Structure And Function, Richard Selorm Ayikpoe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mycofactocin is a putative ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP)-derived redox cofactor. Its biosynthesis is accomplished through the dedicated actions of the products of six conserved genes, mftABCDEF. The mycofactocin pathway is one of the most widely distributed RiPP systems in bacteria however, this distribution is heavily skewed towards the Mycobacteria genus including human pathogenic variants such as M. tuberculosis and M. ulcerans. Gene expression studies have demonstrated the essentiality of the pathway in the ability of M. tuberculosis to utilize the host's cholesterol as sole carbon source during latency. However, the biosynthesis, structure and physiological function …