Abstract
The limitations of TB treatment are the long duration and immune-dampening effects of anti-tuberculosis therapy. The Cell wall plays a crucial role in survival and virulence; hence, enzymes involved in its biosynthesis are good therapeutic targets. Here, we identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) GlmM, (GlmM(Mtb)) engaged in the UDP-GlcNAc synthesis pathway as an essential enzyme. We generated a conditional knockdown strain, Rv-glmM(kD) using the CRISPR interference-mediated gene silencing approach. Depletion of GlmM(Mtb) affects the morphology and thickness of the cell wall. The Rv-glmM(kD) strain attenuated Mtb survival in vitro, in the host macrophages (ex vivo), and in a murine mice infection model (in vivo). Results suggest that the depletion of GlmM(Mtb) induces M1 macrophage polarization, prompting a pro-inflammatory cytokine response, apparent from the upregulation of activation markers, including IFNɣ and IL-17 that resists the growth of Mtb. These observations provide a rationale for exploring GlmM(Mtb) as a potential therapeutic target.