Mycolic acids from Rhodococcus, Gordonia, and Dietzia

The mycolic acids from 11 species of Rhodococcus, seven species of Gordonia, and one species of Dietzia were analyzed using capillary gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GLC/MS). All strains tested in this study were divided into three groups according to the degree of double bonds and the average carbon number (Av.Nc.) of their mycolic acids. The genus Gordonia belongs to the first group possessing an Av.Nc. in the upper 50s and 60s with 0 to 5 double bonds. Some Rhodococcus species possessed Av.Nc. in the 40s with a variety of distributions of polyunsaturated fatty acids from 0 to 4. The rest of the Rhodococcus species and the genus Dietzia possessed Av.Nc. in the 30s with saturated fatty acids. We previously reported on Nocardia strains whose Av.Nc. were in the 50s. Considering the identification of mycolic acid-containing Actinomycetales at the generic level, the Av.Nc. proved to be useful as a means of differentiating the genera Rhodococcus, Gordonia and Nocardia. The genus Dietzia was found to have its own characteristic constitution of mycolic acid molecular species. The mycolic acids from D. maris 58001T were characterized by an almost equal amount of constituents of even- and odd-numbered carbon chains, whereas the major components of mycolic acids in all other strains had even-numbered carbon chains. Another characteristic of Dietzia was some even-numbered mycolic acids which contained odd-numbered straight chains with odd-numbered alpha-branches. These characteristics indicated that Dietzia might possess a novel fatty acid biosynthesis system.     

Construction, molecular modeling, and simulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell walls

The mycobacterial cell wall is extraordinarily thick and tight consisting mainly of (1). long chain fatty acids, the mycolic acids, and (2). a unique polysaccharide, arabinogalactan (AG). These two chemical constituents are covalently linked through ester bonds. Minnikin (The Biology of the Mycobacteria; Academic: London, 1982) proposed that the mycobacterial cell wall is composed of an asymmetric lipid bilayer. The inner leaflet of the cell wall contains mycolic acids covalently linked to AG. This inner leaflet is believed to have the lowest permeability to organic compounds of the overall cell wall. Conformational search and molecular dynamics simulation were used to explore the conformational profile of AG and the conformations and structural organization of the mycolic acid-AG complex, and overall, an inner leaflet molecular model of the cell wall was constructed. The terminal arabinose residues of AG that serve as linkers between AG and mycolic acids were found to exist in four major chemical configurations. The mycolate hydrocarbon chains were determined to be tightly packed and perpendicular to the "plane" formed by the oxygen atoms of the 5-hydroxyl groups of the terminal arabinose residues. For Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the average packing distance between mycolic acids is estimated to be approximately 7.3 A. Thus, Minnikin's model is supported by this computational study. Overall, this modeling and simulation approach provides a way to probe the mechanism of low permeability of the cell wall and the intrinsic drug resistance of M. tuberculosis. In addition, monolayer models were built for both dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine, two common phospholipids in bacterial and animal membranes, respectively. Structural comparisons of these cell wall phospholipid membrane models were made to the M. tuberculosis cell wall model.     

Structural Basis for the Recognition of Mycolic Acid Precursors by KasA,a Condensing Enzyme and Drug Target from Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

The survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis depends on mycolic acids, very long α-alkyl-β-hydroxy fatty acids comprising 60–90 carbon atoms. However, despite considerable efforts, little is known about how enzymes involved in mycolic acid biosynthesis recognize and bind their hydrophobic fatty acyl substrates. The condensing enzyme KasA is pivotal for the synthesis of very long (C_38–42) fatty acids, the precursors of mycolic acids. To probe the mechanism of substrate and inhibitor recognition by KasA, we determined the structure of this protein in complex with a mycobacterial phospholipid and with several thiolactomycin derivatives that were designed as substrate analogs. Our structures provide consecutive snapshots along the reaction coordinate for the enzyme-catalyzed reaction and support an induced fit mechanism in which a wide cavity is established through the concerted opening of three gatekeeping residues and several α-helices. The stepwise characterization of the binding process provides mechanistic insights into the induced fit recognition in this system and serves as an excellent foundation for the development of high affinity KasA inhibitors.     

Crystal structure of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III

Mycolic acids (alpha-alkyl-beta-hydroxy long chain fatty acids) cover the surface of mycobacteria, and inhibition of their biosynthesis is an established mechanism of action for several key front-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. In mycobacteria, long chain acyl-CoA products (C(14)-C(26)) generated by a type I fatty-acid synthase can be used directly for the alpha-branch of mycolic acid or can be extended by a type II fatty-acid synthase to make the meromycolic acid (C(50)-C(56)))-derived component. An unusual Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase III (mtFabH) has been identified, purified, and shown to catalyze a Claisen-type condensation between long chain acyl-CoA substrates such as myristoyl-CoA (C(14)) and malonyl-ACP. This enzyme, presumed to play a key role in initiating meromycolic acid biosynthesis, was crystallized, and its structure was determined at 2.1-A resolution. The mtFabH homodimer is closely similar in topology and active-site structure to Escherichia coli FabH (ecFabH), with a CoA/malonyl-ACP-binding channel leading from the enzyme surface to the buried active-site cysteine residue. Unlike ecFabH, mtFabH contains a second hydrophobic channel leading from the active site. In the ecFabH structure, this channel is blocked by a phenylalanine residue, which constrains specificity to acetyl-CoA, whereas in mtFabH, this residue is a threonine, which permits binding of longer acyl chains. This same channel in mtFabH is capped by an alpha-helix formed adjacent to a 4-amino acid sequence insertion, which limits bound acyl chain length to 16 carbons. These observations offer a molecular basis for understanding the unusual substrate specificity of mtFabH and its probable role in regulating the biosynthesis of the two different length acyl chains required for generation of mycolic acids. This mtFabH presents a new target for structure-based design of novel antimycobacterial agents.     

Purification and structure analysis of mycolic acids in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Corynebacterium glutamicum</Emphasis>

Corynebacterium glutamicum is widely used for producing amino acids. Mycolic acids, the major components in the cell wall of C. glutamicum might be closely related to the secretion of amino acids. In this study, mycolic acids were extracted from 5 strains of C. glutamicum, including ATCC 13032, ATCC 13869, ATCC 14067, L-isoleucine producing strain IWJ-1, and L-valine producing strain VWJ-1. Structures of these mycolic acids were analyzed using thin layer chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. More than twenty molecular species of mycolic acid were observed in all 5 strains. They differ in the length (20–40 carbons) and saturation (0–3 double bonds) of their constituent fatty acids. The dominant species of mycolic acid in every strain was different, but their two hydrocarbon chains were similar in length (14–18 carbons), and the meromycolate chain usually contained double bonds. As the growth temperature of cells increased from 30°C to 34°C, the proportion of mycolic acid species containing unsaturated and shorter hydrocarbon chains increased. These results provide new information on mycolic acids in C. glutamicum, and could be useful for modifying the cell wall to increase the production of amino acids.     

X-ray crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl acyl carrier protein synthase II (mtKasB)

Mycolic acids are long chain alpha-alkyl branched, beta-hydroxy fatty acids that represent a characteristic component of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall. Through their covalent attachment to peptidoglycan via an arabinogalactan polysaccharide, they provide the basis for an essential outer envelope membrane. Mycobacteria possess two fatty acid synthases (FAS); FAS-I carries out de novo synthesis of fatty acids while FAS-II is considered to elongate medium chain length fatty acyl primers to provide long chain (C(56)) precursors of mycolic acids. Here we report the crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl acyl carrier protein synthase (ACP) II mtKasB, a mycobacterial elongation condensing enzyme involved in FAS-II. This enzyme, along with the M. tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl ACP synthase I mtKasA, catalyzes the Claisen-type condensation reaction responsible for fatty acyl elongation in FAS-II and are potential targets for development of novel anti-tubercular drugs. The crystal structure refined to 2.4 A resolution revealed that, like other KAS-II enzymes, mtKasB adopts a thiolase fold but contains unique structural features in the capping region that may be crucial to its preference for longer fatty acyl chains than its counterparts from other bacteria. Modeling of mtKasA using the mtKasB structure as a template predicts the overall structures to be almost identical, but a larger entrance to the active site tunnel is envisaged that might contribute to the greater sensitivity of mtKasA to the inhibitor thiolactomycin (TLM). Modeling of TLM binding in mtKasB shows that the drug fits the active site poorly and results of enzyme inhibition assays using TLM analogues are wholly consistent with our structural observations. Consequently, the structure described here further highlights the potential of TLM as an anti-tubercular lead compound and will aid further exploration of the TLM scaffold towards the design of novel compounds, which inhibit mycobacterial KAS enzymes more effectively.     

A novel interaction linking the FAS-II and phthiocerol dimycocerosate (PDIM) biosynthetic pathways

The fatty acid biosynthesis (FAS-II) pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis generates long chain fatty acids that serve as the precursors to mycolic acids, essential components of the mycobacterial cell wall. Enzymes in the FAS-II pathway are thought to form one or more noncovalent multi-enzyme complexes within the cell, and a bacterial two-hybrid screen was used to search for missing components of the pathway and to furnish additional data on interactions involving these enzymes in vivo. Using the FAS-II beta-ketoacyl synthase, KasA, as bait, an extensive bacterial two-hybrid screen of a M. tuberculosis genome fragment library unexpectedly revealed a novel interaction between KasA and PpsB as well as PpsD, two polyketide modules involved in the biosynthesis of the virulence lipid phthiocerol dimycocerosate (PDIM). Sequence analysis revealed that KasA interacts with PpsB and PpsD in the region of the acyl carrier domain of each protein, raising the possibility that lipids could be transferred between the FAS-II and PDIM biosynthetic pathways. Subsequent studies utilizing purified proteins and radiolabeled lipids revealed that fatty acids loaded onto PpsB were transferred to KasA and also incorporated into long chain fatty acids synthesized using a Mycobacterium smegmatis lysate. These data suggest that in addition to producing PDIMs, the growing phthiocerol product can also be shuttled into the FAS-II pathway via KasA as an entry point for further elongation. Interactions between these biosynthetic pathways may exist as a simple means to increase mycobacterial lipid diversity, enhancing functionality and the overall complexity of the cell wall.     

Mycolic acid synthesis by Mycobacterium aurum cell-free extracts

The first cell-free system capable of synthesizing whole mycolic acids: (R1CH(OH)CH(R2)COOH, with 60 to 90 carbon atoms) from [1-14C]acetate is described and preliminary investigations into some of its requirements and properties are reported. Biosynthetic activity for mycolic acids occurred in an insoluble fraction (40 000 X g pellet) from disrupted cells of Mycobacterium aurum (ATCC 23366-type strain); it produced mycolic acids, but a very small amount of non-hydroxylated fatty acids. The predominant product was unsaturated mycolic acid (type I), while oxo- (type IV) and dicarboxy- (type VI) mycolic acids were synthesized to a lesser extent. When [1-14C]palmitic acid was used as a marker, no labelled mycolic acid was detected. The reaction required a divalent cation (Mg2+ or Mn2+), KHCO3 and O2. Neither CoA, NADH, NADPH nor ATP were necessary, but CoA rather increased the synthesis of non-hydroxylated fatty acids. Glucose or trehalose were not required. Avidin inhibited the biosynthesis of the three types of mycolic acid indicating the presence of a biotin-requiring enzyme in the reaction sequence and therefore a carboxylation step, but citrate had no allosteric effect. Iodoacetamide inhibited the system. These first data are in favor of a complex multienzyme system.     

Acyl-CoA carboxylases (accD2 and accD3), together with a unique polyketide synthase (Cg-pks), are key to mycolic acid biosynthesis in Corynebacterianeae such as Corynebacterium glutamicum and Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The Corynebacterianeae such as Corynebacterium glutamicum and Mycobacterium tuberculosis possess several unique and structurally diverse lipids, including the genus-specific mycolic acids. Although the function of a number of genes involved in fatty acid and mycolic acid biosynthesis is known, information relevant to the initial steps within these biosynthetic pathways is relatively sparse. Interestingly, the genomes of Corynebacterianeae possess a high number of accD genes, whose gene products resemble the beta-subunit of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase of Escherichia coli, providing the activated intermediate for fatty acid synthesis. We present here our studies on four putative accD genes found in C. glutamicum. Although growth of the accD4 mutant remained unchanged, growth of the accD1 mutant was strongly impaired and partially recovered by the addition of exogenous oleic acid. Overexpression of accD1 and accBC, encoding the carboxylase alpha-subunit, resulted in an 8-fold increase in malonyl-CoA formation from acetyl-CoA in cell lysates, providing evidence that accD1 encodes a carboxyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of malonyl-CoA. Interestingly, fatty acid profiles remained unchanged in both our accD2 and accD3 mutants, but a complete loss of mycolic acids, either as organic extractable trehalose and glucose mycolates or as cell wall-bound mycolates, was observed. These two carboxyltransferases are also retained in all Corynebacterianeae, including Mycobacterium leprae, constituting two distinct groups of orthologs. Furthermore, carboxyl fixation assays, as well as a study of a Cg-pks deletion mutant, led us to conclude that accD2 and accD3 are key to mycolic acid biosynthesis, thus providing a carboxylated intermediate during condensation of the mero-chain and alpha-branch directed by the pks-encoded polyketide synthase. This study illustrates that the high number of accD paralogs have evolved to represent specific variations on the well known basic theme of providing carboxylated intermediates in lipid biosynthesis.     

Defective mycolic acid biosynthesis in a mutant of Mycobacterium smegmatis.

A mutant of Mycobacterium smegmatis defective in mycolic acid biosynthesis was isolated following chemical mutagenesis. Fatty acids were extracted from the mutant and subjected to structural analysis by thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of both methyl and p-bromophenacyl ester derivatives. Thin-layer chromatography did not show the presence of any fatty acid of RF comparable to that of standard methyl mycolate. The HPLC profile revealed a broad peak in the standard mycolic acid ester region. No characteristic peaks of mycolic acid esters comparable to the wild-type could be resolved. Mass spectral analysis of the HPLC-purified peak demonstrated the presence of shorter-chain fatty acids in the mutant. These data support the idea that the mutant accumulates precursors of mycolic acids and is incapable of carrying out the final conversion to mycolic acids of 60-90 carbon atoms.     

Structure determination of mycolic acids by using charge remote fragmentation

The collision-induced remote site fragmentation process of closed-shell ions, such as carboxylate anions, is a very potent analytical tool for the structural determination of fatty acids. This leads to an easy location of branch points, double bonds, cyclopropane rings and other functional groups. Although corynomycolic acid mixtures from Corynebacterium diphtheriae can be directly analyzed by negative-ion fast atom bombardment combined with collisionally activated decomposition spectra, mycolic acid mixtures from mycobacteria need a preliminary chemical cleavage. They are oxidized to beta-keto esters and then submitted to a retro-Claisen reaction. The resulting fatty acids were then converted into pentafluorobenzyl derivatives and introduced directly into a high pressure ion source working in the negative ion mode. The resulting gas phase carboxylate anions are activated to decompose by collision with helium atoms. When applied to M3-mycolic acids from Mycobacterium fallax, this method allows for the characterization of a new tri-unsaturated mycolic acid, which has the middle and the remote double bonds separated by two methylene groups.     

Rv3389C from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a member of the (R)-specific hydratase/dehydratase family

The (R)-specific 3-hydroxyacyl dehydratases/trans-enoyl hydratases are key proteins in the biosynthesis of fatty acids. In mycobacteria, such enzymes remain unknown, although they are involved in the biosynthesis of major and essential lipids like mycolic acids. First bioinformatic analyses allowed to identify a single candidate protein, namely Rv3389c, that belongs to the hydratases 2 family and is most likely made of a distinctive asymmetric double hot dog fold. The purified recombinant Rv3389c protein was shown to efficiently catalyze the hydration of (C(8)-C(16)) enoyl-CoA substrates. Furthermore, it catalyzed the dehydration of a 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA in coupled reactions with both reductases (MabA and InhA) of the acyl carrier protein (ACP)-dependent M. tuberculosis fatty acid synthase type II involved in mycolic acid biosynthesis. Yet, the facts that Rv3389c activity decreased in the presence of ACP, versus CoA, derivative and that Rv3389c knockout mutant had no visible variation of its fatty acid content suggested the occurrence of additional hydratase/dehydratase candidates. Accordingly, further and detailed bioinformatic analyses led to the identification of other members of the hydratases 2 family in M. tuberculosis.     

The biosynthesis of mycolic acids in Mycobacterium tuberculosis relies on multiple specialized elongation complexes interconnected by specific protein-protein interactions

Tuberculosis kills about two million people every year and remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. As a result of the increasing antibiotic resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains, there is an urgent need for new antitubercular drugs. Several efficient antibiotics, including isoniazid, specifically target the fatty acid synthase-II (FAS-II) complex of mycolic acid biosynthesis. We have previously shown that there are protein-protein interactions between the components of FAS-II that are essential for mycobacterial survival. We have now looked at the potential partners of FAS-II, mtFabD, the methyltransferases MmaAs, and Pks13. A combination of yeast two-hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that mtFabD interacts with each beta-ketoacyl-synthase (KasA, KasB and mtFabH) and with the core of FAS-II (InhA and MabA). The methyltransferases have a greater affinity for KasA and KasB than for mtFabH, suggesting that modifications on the meromycolic chains may occur during their elongation. Finally, Pks13, which catalyzes the final Claisen condensation of mycolic acids, interacts specifically with KasB. These data allowed us to determine the architecture of the multiple specialized FAS-II complexes, giving us insights into the organization of the complete mycolic acids biosynthesis. Our studies suggest a new and crucial interaction (KasB-Pks13) as a putative target for peptidomimetic antibiotics.     

Purification and biochemical characterization of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthases KasA and KasB

Mycolic acids are vital components of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall, and enzymes involved in their formation represent attractive targets for the discovery of novel anti-tuberculosis agents. Biosynthesis of the fatty acyl chains of mycolic acids involves two fatty acid synthetic systems, the multifunctional polypeptide fatty acid synthase I (FASI), which performs de novo fatty acid synthesis, and the dissociated FASII system, which consists of monofunctional enzymes, and acyl carrier protein (ACP) and elongates FASI products to long chain mycolic acid precursors. In this study, we present the initial characterization of purified KasA and KasB, two beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase (KAS) enzymes of the M. tuberculosis FASII system. KasA and KasB were expressed in E. coli and purified by affinity chromatography. Both enzymes showed activity typical of bacterial KASs, condensing an acyl-ACP with malonyl-ACP. Consistent with the proposed role of FASII in mycolic acid synthesis, analysis of various acyl-ACP substrates indicated KasA and KasB had higher specificity for long chain acyl-ACPs containing at least 16 carbons. Activity of KasA and KasB increased with use of M. tuberculosis AcpM, suggesting that structural differences between AcpM and E. coli ACP may affect their recognition by the enzymes. Both enzymes were sensitive to KAS inhibitors cerulenin and thiolactomycin. These results represent important steps in characterizing KasA and KasB as targets for antimycobacterial drug discovery.     

Mass spectrometry as a tool for identifying group D2 corynebacteria by their fatty acid profiles

Corynebacterium group D2 (CGD2) are lipophilic antibiotic-multiresistant bacteria involved in some infections of immunocompromised patients. The fatty acid composition and structure of different strains was established by several mass spectrometric methods, particularly negative ion tandem mass spectrometry coupled with capillary gas chromatography. Non-hydroxylated fatty acid profiles of three strains of CGD2 (ATCC 43042, ATCC 43043, ATCC 43044) were almost identical and revealed the presence of several straight chain unsaturated fatty acids from the omega-9 series, with even carbon numbers ranging from 14 to 24. Branched saturated fatty acids were mainly anteiso-heptadecanoic acid and tuberculostearic acid. Surprisingly, a relatively large quantity of 10-methylene octadecanoic acid was found. The non-hydroxylated fatty acid profile of one rare beta-lactam susceptible strain (SC1) was different; 10-methylene octadecanoic acid was lacking whereas tuberculostearic acid was much more abundant. In contrast, the four CGD2 strains displayed highly similar mycolic acid patterns. The major mycolic acid species corresponded to C32, C30 and C28 bis-unsaturated with a double bond on each branch at the omega-9 position. The comparison of the mycolic acid composition and structure with those of other medically important corynebacteria strains, revealed a characteristic pattern for CGD2 strains, and CGD2 strains were easily distinguished from Corynebacterium jeikeium (CIP 82.51).     

Inhibition of mycolic acid biosynthesis in a cell-wall preparation from Mycobacterium smegmatis by methyl 4-(2-octadecylcyclopropen-1-y1) butanoate, a structural analogue of a key precursor

[¹⁴C]acetate was incorporated into mycolic acids by a cell-free, cell-wall fraction from Mycobacterium smegmatis . This activity was inhibited by methyl 4-(2-octadecylcyclopropen-1-y1) butanoate which was designed as a structural analogue of cis -tetracos-5-enoate, a precursor of mycolic acid biosynthesis. Other fatty acids and their methyl esters failed to inhibit mycolic acid biosynthesis at the concentration 1–2 mg ml^-1, at which methyl 4-(2-octadecylcyclopropen-1-y1) butanoate was effective. Thus a novel agent was shown to act against an enzyme activity or target involved specifically in biosynthesis of a characteristic, mycobacterial, cell-wall component.     

Structural and metabolic study of the mycolic acids of Mycobacterium fortuitum

The biosynthesis of mycolic acids was studied in whole cells of Mycobacterium fortuitum. At first the structures of the main mycolates produced by the used strain were established as diunsaturated and epoxymycolates. By using [1-14C]acetate as a radiotracer of the lipid synthesis, it was observed that the turnover of the mycolates during the exponential phase of growth of M. fortuitum is fast enough to make very difficult the identification of their precursors. If the growth of the bacterial cells is stopped or highly diminished, by the removal of a large part of their nutritional medium, mycolate synthesis, in contrast to the synthesis of other fatty acids, is stopped as shown by incubation of the concentrated bacterial culture with [1-14C]acetate. After removal of aliquots of the sedimented bacteria at intervals, during several hours, mycolate synthesis resumes when the cell concentration becomes lighter. In these conditions the sequence of radiolabeling of mycolates and of their potential precursors (tetracosanoate and meromycolates) can be observed. In spite of their low accumulation, tetracosanoate and meromycolates were isolated and purified and their specific radioactivity, after different incubation times, could be measured. The results are in agreement with the hypothesis that meromycolates are condensed with tetracosanoate to produce mycolates. However, because of the large differences of isotopic dilution of these two precursors inside the mycolate molecule, this hypothesis, generally taken as evidence, has to be modified. A hypothetical pathway of the mycolate synthesis is proposed, taking into account all these observations.     

Mutations in the essential FAS II β‐hydroxyacyl ACP dehydratase complex confer resistance to thiacetazone in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium kansasii

It has recently been shown that the anti‐mycobacterial pro‐drug thiacetazone (TAC) inhibits the conversion of double bonds of mycolic acid precursors into cyclopropyl rings in Mycobacterium bovis var BCG, M. marimum and M. chelonae by affecting the cyclopropyl mycolic acid synthases (CMASs) as judged by the build‐up of unsaturated mycolate precursors. In our hands, TAC inhibits mycolic acid biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. kansasii with almost negligible accumulation of those precursors. Our observations that ‘de novo’ biosynthesis of all the mycolic acid families decreased upon TAC treatment prompted us to analyse the role of each one of the Type II Fatty Acid Synthase (FASII) enzymes. Overexpression of the hadABC operon, encoding the essential FASII dehydratase complex, but not of any of the remaining FASII genes acting on the elongation of fatty acyl chains leading to the synthesis of meromycolic acids, resulted in high level of resistance to TAC in M. tuberculosis. Spontaneous M. tuberculosis and M. kansasii TAC‐resistant mutants isolated during this work revealed mutations in the hadABC genes strongly supporting our proposal that these enzymes are new players in the resistance to this anti‐mycobacterial compound.     

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis FAS-II condensing enzymes: their role in mycolic acid biosynthesis, acid-fastness, pathogenesis and in future drug development

Mycolic acids are very long-chain fatty acids representing essential components of the mycobacterial cell wall. Considering their importance, characterization of key enzymes participating in mycolic acid biosynthesis not only allows an understanding of their role in the physiology of mycobacteria, but also might lead to the identification of new drug targets. Mycolates are synthesized by at least two discrete elongation systems, the type I and type II fatty acid synthases (FAS-I and FAS-II respectively). Among the FAS-II components, the condensing enzymes that catalyse the formation of carbon-carbon bonds have received considerable interest. Four condensases participate in initiation (mtFabH), elongation (KasA and KasB) and termination (Pks13) steps, leading to full-length mycolates. We present the recent biochemical and structural data for these important enzymes. Special emphasis is given to their role in growth, intracellular survival, biofilm formation, as well as in the physiopathology of tuberculosis. Recent studies demonstrated that phosphorylation of these enzymes by mycobacterial kinases affects their activities. We propose here a model in which kinases that sense environmental changes can phosphorylate the condensing enzymes, thus representing a novel mechanism of regulating mycolic acid biosynthesis. Finally, we discuss the attractiveness of these enzymes as valid targets for future antituberculosis drug development.     

Negative regulation by Ser/Thr phosphorylation of HadAB and HadBC dehydratases from Mycobacterium tuberculosis type II fatty acid synthase system

The type II fatty acid synthase system of mycobacteria is involved in the biosynthesis of major and essential lipids, mycolic acids, key-factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenicity. One reason of the remarkable survival ability of M. tuberculosis in infected hosts is partly related to the presence of cell wall-associated mycolic acids. Despite their importance, the mechanisms that modulate synthesis of these lipids in response to environmental changes are unknown. We demonstrate here that HadAB and HadBC dehydratases of this system are phosphorylated by Ser/Thr protein kinases, which negatively affects their enzymatic activity. The phosphorylation of HadAB/BC is growth phase-dependent, suggesting that it represents a mechanism by which mycobacteria might tightly control mycolic acid biosynthesis under non-replicating condition.