Lipidomics and genomics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveal lineage-specific trends in mycolic acid biosynthesis.

ABSTRACT: Mycolic acids (MAs) are α-alkyl, β-hydroxy long-chain fatty acids found in abundance in the cell envelope of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). MAs form an efficient permeability barrier, modulate host innate immune responses, and are the targets of several anti-tuberculosis drugs. Using mass spectrometry, we measured the relative abundance of 80 MA species across 36 clinical isolates of MTBC covering four major phylogenetic lineages. We found significant variations in the MA patterns between different MTBC strains and lineages. MA patterns of "ancient" lineages contrasted those from "modern" lineages, with a lower representation of alpha-mycolates among Lineage 6 strains and an inversion of the methoxy: keto-mycolates ratio in Lineage 1 strains. By interrogating the whole geno

SUBMITTER: Portevin D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4263507 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature