Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that is caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a respiratory disease primarily, though it has been known to attack the kidneys, spine, and even the brain. According to the National Institute of Health, roughly 10% of those infected by the bacteria develop the "active" form of tuberculosis, which can be transmitted through the air and is potentially deadly. The reason tuberculosis is such a concern is because it still infects a large number of people, though it is a common misconception that this is not the case. Approximately 2 million people die of TB infections every year, and about one third of the world's population is believed to be infected. The search for a cure or treatment for tuberculosis has been difficult because of the development of multi-resistant strains of TB, not to mention how difficult it is to diagnose. Also, because of the growing rate of HIV infected individuals, TB infection is a concern because of the lack of a sufficient immune response against it in such cases.
For more information about the subject please visit the following links:

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/tb.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/faqs/qa_introduction.htm#Intro1

We have recieved a gene from Professor Rubin at Columbia University that codes for what is believed to be a protease in tuberculosis that is important in it's functioning. This protein can be found in the MEROPS database under the name "Rv2224c". There is limited information about the structure and function of this protein at this time. The main objective of this project is to express, purify, and activate this enzyme so that it's structure can be determined as well as other chemical properties. Thus far, based on sequencing, it seems the enzyme is a serine protease homologous to the tripeptidyl peptidases found in Streptomyces lividans. We have successfully put the gene in an expression vector and expressed it using BL21*DE3 PlysS cells. The protein has shown the potential to be folded properly and active, but more experiments need to be done to confirm this. Ideally, the protein will be activated and purified enough to do X-Ray crystalography in order to determine the structure accurately.