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Research Interests of Participating Faculty
Mamta Rawat, Biology.
My research concerns the role of two distinctive
thiols, ergothioneine and mycothiol, in pathogenesis and
bioremediation. Mycothiol is found exclusively in actinomycetes like
Mycobacteriium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis,
and the genus Rhodococcus which contains species involved in
bioremediation. All four genes coding for enzymes involved in the
biosynthesis of mycothiol have been identified and characterized.
Mutants in genes involved in mycothiol biosynthesis are more
sensitive to oxidative stress and stress caused by toxins such as
antibiotics and alkylating agents indicating that mycothiol serves
as a coenzyme or cofactor in detoxification reactions. My laboratory
is interested in identifying these mycothiol dependent proteins
using conventional protein purification, random and targeted
mutagenesis, and reverse genetics. We are particularly interested in
the identification and characterization of mycothiol dependent
peroxidases as these enzymes may play a major role in the
pathogenesis of tuberculosis by aiding in the survival of M.
tuberculosis in macrophages and the “granulomas” of the lungs.
In contrast to mycothiol, ergothioneine is detected
in most organisms including humans where it is believed to be
derived from the daily diet. Although ergothioneine is found
everywhere, little is known about its purpose and it has been
demonstrated that only fungi such as Neurospora crass and
mycobacterial species synthesize this thiol. We are screening
transposon mutant libraries for mycobacterial mutants lacking
ergothioneine with the overall aim of identifying genes involved in
the biosynthesis of ergothioneine. Characterization of mutants
lacking ergothioneine will give us an indication about the role of
this thiol in mycobacteria and eventually humans.
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