ArticleCell reports2026
The mycobacterial ATP burst is a lysis artifact and serves as an assay for drug-induced cell wall damage.
Article in Cell reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Multipronged Cell Wall-Targeting Converts Ineffective Antibiotics into a Potent Regimen against Mycobacterium abscessus.ACS infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis VadK is required for the regulation of the methylcitrate cycle and virulence.EMBO reports · 2026Article
- A new Persister Enrichment Model inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- VadK, a Non-Canonical Kinase that Regulates the Methylcitrate Cycle and is Essential forbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
Antibiotics targeting the mycobacterial cell wall are a cornerstone of tuberculosis treatment, yet how these drugs facilitate bacterial killing remains incompletely understood. Studies using the BacTiter-Glo luminescence assay have reported increased mycobacterial ATP levels following treatment with cell wall inhibitors such as isoniazid, a phenomenon referred to as an "ATP burst." This is proposed to contribute to drug-induced killing. Here, we show the ATP burst is not a biological response but rather an experimental artifact resulting from enhanced cell lysis induced by cell-wall-targeting drugs. Mechanical lysis by bead beating abolishes the ATP burst, enabling more reliable assessment of ATP levels. We demonstrate the utility of this approach as a functional readout for identifying compounds that disrupt the mycobacterial cell wall and for screening synergistic or antagonistic interactions with cell wall inhibitors. These findings clarify the mechanistic basis of the ATP burst and provide a practical tool for antimycobacterial drug discovery.
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