Role for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Membrane Vesicles in Iron Acquisition |
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Authors: | Rafael Prados-Rosales Brian C. Weinrick Daniel G. Piqué William R. Jacobs Jr. Arturo Casadevall G. Marcela Rodriguez |
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Affiliation: | aDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA;bHoward Hughes Medical Institute, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA;cDepartment of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA;dPublic Health Research Institute Center and New Jersey Medical School—Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, USA |
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Abstract: | Mycobacterium tuberculosis releases membrane vesicles packed with molecules that can modulate the immune response. Because environmental conditions often influence the production and content of bacterial vesicles, this study examined M. tuberculosis microvesicles released under iron limitation, a common condition faced by pathogens inside the host. The findings indicate that M. tuberculosis increases microvesicle production in response to iron restriction and that these microvesicles contain mycobactin, which can serve as an iron donor and supports replication of iron-starved mycobacteria. Consequently, the results revealed a role of microvesicles in iron acquisition in M. tuberculosis, which can be critical for survival in the host. |
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