Transcriptome of phosphomimetic and phosphoablative kasB mutants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
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ABSTRACT: Mechanisms governing Mycobacterium tuberculosis acid-fastness and its capacity to induce long-term infections remain unknown. Serine/Threonine phosphorylation represents an emerging theme allowing mycobacteria to adapt their cell envelope structure/composition in response to environmental changes. We addressed whether phosphorylation of KasB, a mycolic acid biosynthetic enzyme, modulates M. tuberculosis pathogenicity. Phosphorylation of KasB occurred at Thr334 and Thr336 in vitro and in mycobacteria. A mutant strain bearing an kasB_T334D/T336D allele, mimicking constitutive KasB phosphorylation, was generated by specialized linkage transduction. This resulted in shortened mycolic acids and the lack of trans-cyclopropanation. Structural/modeling analyses revealed Thr334 and Thr336 in the vicinity of the catalytic triad, implying that phosphorylation of these residues impaired KasB activity. Importantly, the phosphomimetic strain lost acid-fast staining and was more attenuated than a kasB deletion mutant in immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice. The absence of lung pathology and mortality infers this mutant to represent a valuable vaccine candidate. This work emphasizes the critical role of Ser/Thr kinase-dependent signaling in controlling mycolic acid elongation, acid-fastness, virulence and has important clinical implications for diagnosis of latent infections.
ORGANISM(S): Mycobacterium tuberculosis
PROVIDER: GSE47640 | GEO | 2014/04/01
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA208269
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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