An orphaned Mce-associated membrane protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a virulence factor that stabilizes Mce transporters.

ABSTRACT: Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins that are exported out of the bacterial cytoplasm are ideally positioned to be virulence factors; however, the functions of individual exported proteins remain largely unknown. Previous studies identified Rv0199 as an exported membrane protein of unknown function. Here, we characterized the role of Rv0199 in M. tuberculosis virulence using an aerosol model of murine infection. Rv0199 appears to be a member of a Mce-associated membrane (Mam) protein family leading us to rename it OmamA, for orphaned Mam protein A. Consistent with a role in Mce transport, we showed OmamA is required for cholesterol import, which is a Mce4-dependent process. We further demonstrated a function for OmamA in stabilizing protein components of the Mce1 transporter complex. These

SUBMITTER: Perkowski EF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5028898 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature