The Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteasome: more than just a barrel-shaped protease.

In eukaryotes the proteasome is responsible for the degradation of many proteins that are targeted for turnover by post-translational modification with ubiquitin. A similar system was identified in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and has shown to be essential for the pathogenesis of this bacterium. Here, we overview the current information of the Mtb proteasome and discuss the role of this protease in pathogenesis.