Bacterial triosephosphate isomerase as a therapeutic target, current knowledge and future perspectives: A review.

Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) is a very efficient catalyst due to its precise dynamic architecture. Most of the structural, functional, and physicochemical information about TIM has been obtained from eukaryotic organisms. In this review, we summarize current knowledge regarding Bacterial TIMs (BacTIMs), a very diverse but underrepresented group of TIMs. We discuss reported examples linking BacTIMs to pathogenesis-related processes and its influence on cellular physiology, particularly in those characteristics that potentiate their role as pharmacological targets. Finally, we discuss how recent advances in artificial intelligence assisted-virtual screening and fragment-based drug may accelerate the development of selective BacTIM inhibitors against non-conserved regions in the oligomeric interface.