Dataset Information

The phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosyltransferase PimA is essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in vitro and in vivo.

ABSTRACT: The cell envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis contains glycans and lipids of peculiar structure that play prominent roles in the biology and pathogenesis of tuberculosis. Consequently, the chemical structure and biosynthesis of the cell wall have been intensively investigated in order to identify novel drug targets. Here, we validate that the function of phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosyltransferase PimA is vital for M. tuberculosis in vitro and in vivo. PimA initiates the biosynthesis of phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosides by transferring a mannosyl residue from GDP-Man to phosphatidyl-myo-inositol on the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane. To prove the essential nature of pimA in M. tuberculosis, we constructed a pimA conditional mutant by using the TetR-Pip off system and showed that downregulation of PimA expression causes bactericidality in batch cultures. Consistent with the biochemical reaction catalyzed by PimA, this phenotype was associated with markedly reduced levels of phosphatidyl-myo-inositol dimannosides, essential structural components of the mycobacterial cell envelope. In addition, the requirement of PimA for viability was clearly demonstrated during macrophage infection and in two different mouse models of infection, where a dramatic decrease in viable counts was observed upon silencing of the gene. Notably, depletion of PimA resulted in complete clearance of the mouse lungs during both the acute and chronic phases of infection. Altogether, the experimental data highlight the importance of the phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannoside biosynthetic pathway for M. tuberculosis and confirm that PimA is a novel target for future drug discovery programs.

SUBMITTER: Boldrin F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4187664 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosyltransferase PimA is essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in vitro and in vivo.

Boldrin Francesca F Ventura Marcello M Degiacomi Giulia G Ravishankar Sudha S Sala Claudia C Svetlikova Zuzana Z Ambady Anisha A Dhar Neeraj N Kordulakova Jana J Zhang Ming M Serafini Agnese A Vishwas K G KG Kolly Gaëlle S GS Kumar Naveen N Palù Giorgio G Guerin Marcelo E ME Mikusova Katarina K Cole Stewart T ST Manganelli Riccardo R

Journal of bacteriology 20140721 19

The cell envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis contains glycans and lipids of peculiar structure that play prominent roles in the biology and pathogenesis of tuberculosis. Consequently, the chemical structure and biosynthesis of the cell wall have been intensively investigated in order to identify novel drug targets. Here, we validate that the function of phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosyltransferase PimA is vital for M. tuberculosis in vitro and in vivo. PimA initiates the biosynthesis of phos ...[more]

PMID: 25049093

Similar Datasets

Project description:Mycobacterium tuberculosis comprises an unusual cell envelope dominated by unique lipids and glycans that provides a permeability barrier against hydrophilic drugs and is central for its survival and virulence. Phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosides (PIMs) are glycolipids considered to be not only key structural components of the cell envelope but also the precursors of lipomannan (LM) and lipoarabinomannan (LAM), important lipoglycans implicated in host-pathogen interactions. Here, we focus on PatA, a membrane-associated acyltransferase that transfers a palmitoyl moiety from palmitoyl coenzyme A (palmitoyl-CoA) to the 6-position of the mannose ring linked to the 2-position of inositol in PIM1/PIM2 We validate that the function of PatA is vital for M. tuberculosisin vitro and in vivo We constructed a patA conditional mutant and showed that silencing patA is bactericidal in batch cultures. This phenotype was associated with significantly reduced levels of Ac1PIM2, an important structural component of the mycobacterial inner membrane. The requirement of PatA for viability was also demonstrated during macrophage infection and in a mouse model of infection, where a dramatic decrease in viable counts was observed upon silencing of the patA gene. This is reminiscent of the behavior of PimA, the mannosyltransferase that initiates the PIM pathway, also found to be essential for M. tuberculosis growth in vitro and in vivo Altogether, the experimental data highlight the significance of the early steps of the PIM biosynthetic pathway for M. tuberculosis physiology and reveal that PatA is a novel target for drug discovery programs against this major human pathogen.IMPORTANCE Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. The emergence of drug resistance in strains of M. tuberculosis, the etiologic agent of TB, emphasizes the need to identify new targets and antimicrobial agents. The mycobacterial cell envelope is a major factor in this intrinsic drug resistance. Here, we have focused on the biosynthesis of PIMs, key virulence factors and important components of the cell envelope. Specifically, we have determined that PatA, the acyltransferase responsible for the first acylation step of the PIM synthesis pathway, is essential in M. tuberculosis These results highlight the importance of early steps of the PIM biosynthetic pathway for mycobacterial physiology and the suitability of PatA as a potential new drug target.

Project description:1. Addition of the bivalent ionophore A23187 to synaptosomes isolated from guinea-pig brain cortex and labelled with [(32)P]phosphate in vitro or in vivo caused a marked loss of radioactivity from phosphatidyl-myo-inositol 4-phosphate (diphosphoinositide) and phosphatidyl-myo-inositol 4,5-bisphosphate (triphosphoinositide) and stimulated labelling of phosphatidate. No change occurred in the labelling of other phospholipids. 2. In conditions that minimized changes in internal Mg(2+) concentrations, the effect of ionophore A23187 on labelling of synaptosomal di- and tri-phosphoinositide was dependent on Ca(2+) and was apparent at Ca(2+) concentrations in the medium as low as 10(-5)m. 3. An increase in internal Mg(2+) concentration stimulated incorporation of [(32)P]phosphate into di- and tri-phosphoinositide, whereas lowering internal Mg(2+) decreased labelling. 4. Increased labelling of phosphatidate was independent of medium Mg(2+) concentration and apparently only partly dependent on medium Ca(2+) concentration. 5. The loss of label from di- and tri-phosphoinositide caused by ionophore A23187 was accompanied by losses in the amounts of both lipids. 6. Addition of excess of EGTA to synaptosomes treated with ionophore A23187 in the presence of Ca(2+) caused a rapid resynthesis of di- and tri-phosphoinositide and a further stimulation of phosphatidate labelling. 7. Addition of ionophore A23187 to synaptosomes labelled in vivo with [(3)H]inositol caused a significant loss of label from di- and tri-phosphoinositide, but not from phosphatidylinositol. There was a considerable rise in labelling of inositol diphosphate, a small increase in that of inositol phosphate, but no significant production of inositol triphosphate. 8. (32)P-labelled di- and tri-phosphoinositides appeared to be located in the synaptosomal plasma membrane. 9. The results indicate that increased Ca(2+) influx into synaptosomes markedly activates triphosphoinositide phosphatase and diphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase, but has little or no effect on phosphatidylinositol phosphodiesterase.

Dataset Information

The phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosyltransferase PimA is essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in vitro and in vivo.

Publications

The phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosyltransferase PimA is essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in vitro and in vivo.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets