Tuberculosis is a devastating disease, taking one human life every 20 seconds globally. We hypothesize that professional pathogens such as M.tb have acquired specific features that might assist in causing infection, persistence and transmissible pathology in their host. We have identified 121 methyltransferases (MTases) in the M.tb proteome, which use a variety of substrates - DNA, RNA, protein, intermediates of mycolic acid biosynthesis and other fatty acids - that are involved in cellular maintenance within the host. A comparative analysis of the proteome of the virulent strain H37Rv and the avirulent strain H37Ra identified 3 MTases, which displayed significant variations in terms of N-terminal extension/deletion and point mutations, possibly impacting various physicochemical properties. The cross-proteomic comparison of MTases of M.tb H37Rv with 15 different Mycobacterium species revealed the acquisition of novel MTases in a MTB complex as a function of evolution. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these newly acquired MTases showed common roots with certain extremophiles such as halophilic and acidophilic organisms. Our results establish an evolutionary relationship of M.tb with halotolerant organisms and also the role of MTases of M.tb in withstanding the host osmotic stress, thereby pointing to their likely role in pathogenesis, virulence and niche adaptation.
The dural sinus thrombosis is an uncommon complication of a commonly done procedure of central venous catheterisation. We present a case of massive hemorrhagic venous infarct with gross cerebral edema due to dural sinus thrombosis along with right internal jugular vein thrombus. A 21-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department with fever and swelling of the right neck four days following discharge after his prior hospitalization two weeks ago for acute renal failure due to severe gastroenteritis, when he underwent hemodialysis through right internal jugular access. On presentation, he was conscious, with swelling on right side of the neck, which was diagnosed as right internal jugular vein occlusion. However, he rapidly deteriorated and developed signs of raised intracranial pressure despite being on treatment with heparin. He was diagnosed as having massive hemorrhagic cerebral venous infarct with gross cerebral edema complicated with shift of the ventricles to the left due to dural sinus thrombosis. Despite emergency decompressive craniotomy, he succumbed in the next two days due to coning. Asymptomatic catheter-related thrombosis is frequent in the intensive care units, but major complications like retrograde extension into dural sinus causing thrombosis is rare. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose this major catastrophe for an early and meaningful intervention.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.