PapA3 is an acyltransferase required for polyacyltrehalose biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

ABSTRACT: Mycobacterium tuberculosis possesses an unusual cell wall that is replete with virulence-enhancing lipids. One cell wall molecule unique to pathogenic M. tuberculosis is polyacyltrehalose (PAT), a pentaacylated, trehalose-based glycolipid. Little is known about the biosynthesis of PAT, although its biosynthetic gene cluster has been identified and found to resemble that of the better studied M. tuberculosis cell wall component sulfolipid-1. In this study, we sought to elucidate the function of papA3, a gene from the PAT locus encoding a putative acyltransferase. To determine whether PapA3 participates in PAT assembly, we expressed the protein heterologously and evaluated its acyltransferase activity in vitro. The purified enzyme catalyzed the sequential esterification of trehalose with two

SUBMITTER: Hatzios SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2676004 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature