Structure and function of membrane transporters in Mycobacterium bovis - the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis

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Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a disease of cattle that can also affect humans (tuberculosis (TB), as well as other livestock/wild animal species. Bovine tuberculosis is an important animal health problem both in the UK, and globally, and it is estimated to result in ~$3 billion per annum of agricultural losses worldwide. It is essential to understand the basic biology of this pathogen to open up novel pathways and targets that we can exploit In order to develop new therapeutics and/or diagnostics to control bTB/TB disease. This project will use a combination of biochemistry, biophysical, structural biology and microbiology techniques to determine the nutrients that M. bovis uses to survive and the molecular mechanisms involved in their uptake. This will allow us to obtain a more detailed picture of how M. bovis is able to survive in the environment and cause infection in cattle, which will also have implications in human TB infection.