Distribution of C22-, C24- and C26-α-Unit-Containing Mycolic Acid Homologues in Mycobacteria

There are three mycolic acid homologues with C₂₂-, C₂₄- and C₂₆-α-units in Mycobacterium. In order to reveal the composition and distribution of these homologues in each subclass and molecular species of mycolic acids and to compare them with the composition of constitutive non-polar fatty acids (free and bound forms), we have separated non-polar fatty acids and each subclass of mycolic acids from 21 mycobacterial species by thin-layer chromatography, and analyzed non-polar fatty acid methyl esters by gas chromatography (GC) and the cleavage products of methyl mycolate by pyrolysis GC. We further performed mass chromatographic analysis of trimethylsilyl (TMS) ether derivatives of mycolic acid methyl esters by monitoring [B-29]⁺ ions (loss of CHO from the α-branched-chain structure of mycolic acids) of m/z 426, 454 and 482 which are attributed to C₂₂-, C₂₄- and C₂₆-α-units of TMS ether derivatives of methyl mycolates, respectively, (Kaneda, K. et al, J. Clin. Microbiol. 24: 1060-1070, 1986). By pyrolysis GC, C_22:0, C_24:0 and C_26:0 fatty acid methyl esters generated by the C₂-C₃ cleavage of C₂₂-, C₂₄- and C₂₆-α-unit-containing mycolic acid methyl esters, respectively, were detected. Their proportion was almost the same among subclasses of mycolic acids in every Mycobacterium and also similar to the proportion of constitutive non-polar C_22:0, C_24:0 and C_26:0 fatty acids. By mass chromatography, the composition and distribution of C₂₂- and C₂₄-α-unit-containing homologues were revealed to be similar between α- and α'-mycolic acids in every Mycobacterium. We further analyzed in detail M. vaccae and demonstrated that the mass chromatogram of C₂₂-α-unit-containing homologue was analogous in shape to that of the C₂₄-α-unit-containing one, with the latter mass chromatogram being up-shifted from the former by two carbon numbers, in every subclass of α-, α'-, keto and dicarboxy mycolic acids. The present study suggests that the compositions of three homologues of both mycolic acids and constitutive non-polar fatty acids, which are characteristic to each mycobacterial species, may reflect the proportion of the amount of free C_22:0, C_24:0 and C_26:0 fatty acids synthesized in the cell. It is further demonstrated that intermolecular condensation of two fatty acids which become α- and β-units of mycolic acids will occur independently of the carbon chain length or kinds of polar moieties of fatty acids.     

The binding of mycolic acids to galectin-3: a novel interaction between a host soluble lectin and trafficking mycobacterial lipids?

Understanding the molecular mechanism of host-pathogen interactions is the basis for drug design and vaccine development. The fine composition of mycolic acids (MA), the major constituents of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) cell envelope, as well as other cell wall-associated lipids, contribute to determine the virulence of a given strain. However, endogenous receptors for mycolic acids on susceptible cells exposed to mycobacterial infections have not been fully identified. Here, we show that galectin-3, a multifunctional beta-galactoside binding lectin present mainly in the cytoplasm of inflammatory cells and also present on the cell surface, can recognize mycobacterial mycolic acids. MA can inhibit the lectin self-association but not its carbohydrate-binding abilities and can selectively interfere in the interaction of the lectin with its receptors on temperature-sensitive dendritic cell line, suggesting that galectin-3 could be involved in the recognition of trafficking mycolic acids and participate in their interaction with host cells.     

MmpL11 Protein Transports Mycolic Acid-containing Lipids to the Mycobacterial Cell Wall and Contributes to Biofilm Formation in Mycobacterium smegmatis

A growing body of evidence indicates that MmpL (mycobacterial membrane protein large) transporters are dedicated to cell wall biosynthesis and transport mycobacterial lipids. How MmpL transporters function and the identities of their substrates have not been fully elucidated. We report the characterization of Mycobacterium smegmatis MmpL11. We showed previously that M. smegmatis lacking MmpL11 has reduced membrane permeability that results in resistance to host antimicrobial peptides. We report herein the further characterization of the M. smegmatis mmpL11 mutant and identification of the MmpL11 substrates. We found that biofilm formation by the M. smegmatis mmpL11 mutant was distinct from that by wild-type M. smegmatis. Analysis of cell wall lipids revealed that the mmpL11 mutant failed to export the mycolic acid-containing lipids monomeromycolyl diacylglycerol and mycolate ester wax to the bacterial surface. In addition, analysis of total lipids indicated that the mycolic acid-containing precursor molecule mycolyl phospholipid accumulated in the mmpL11 mutant compared with wild-type mycobacteria. MmpL11 is encoded at a chromosomal locus that is conserved across pathogenic and nonpathogenic mycobacteria. Phenotypes of the M. smegmatis mmpL11 mutant are complemented by the expression of M. smegmatis or M. tuberculosis MmpL11, suggesting that MmpL11 plays a conserved role in mycobacterial cell wall biogenesis.     

Transformation of sterols byMycobacterium vaccae: effect of lecithin on the permeability of cell envelopes to sterols

An enhancement of Β-sitosterol transformation to androstendione byMycobacterium vaccae observed in medium containing egg-yolk lecithin, was associated with the incorporation of a considerable amount of lecithin into the cell envelope lipids. By GC/MS measurements, fatty acids ranging from 14 to 22 carbon atoms were identified in the lipids removed from the cells by organic solvents. Octadecenoic (18:1), 2-methyl-octadecenoic (2-Me 18:1), and hexadecanoic (16:0) acids were the major components of the lipid preparation obtained from both the control cells, and the cells grown in lecithin-containing medium. However, in the fatty acid pattern of the latter a distinct increase in the C_18:1 component, concomitant with the decrease in the 2-Me 18:1 fatty acid was demonstrated. The C₁₆ fatty acid fraction also showed a higher content of methyl-branched components in the control cell preparation. The enrichment in unsaturated fatty acids increases fluidity of lipids, whereas the decrease in methyl-branched fatty acids may affect the conformation of the surface lipidic components, which may result in enhanced sterol penetration through the cell wall barrier in the presence of lecithin.     

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.     

分枝杆菌枝菌酸合成及其调控

结核病是危害人类健康的重要传染病,每年200多万人死于结核病。耐(多)药菌株的出现、与HIV共感染以及人口老龄化等原因与全球结核病的卷土重来密切相关。枝菌酸是存在于结核分枝杆菌、其他分枝杆菌和许多放线菌的细胞壁中的关键组分,与结核分枝杆菌的致病、毒力和免疫逃避都有关系。枝菌酸在抗结核研究中有着极其重要的地位。结核分枝杆菌枝菌酸的生物合成途径一直是很重要的抗结核药物靶标,异烟肼、乙胺丁醇等抗结核药物都是以此为靶标。深入研究枝菌酸的合成、调控有助于发现更多的药物靶标,为开发结核病控制新措施提供基础。本文综述了结核分枝杆菌枝菌酸的结构与分类、生物合成途径及其调控、作为抗结核药物靶标的前景与应用,以期对枝菌酸有更深入的了解并为新型抗结核药物靶标的发现提供基础。     

The genus Dietzia: a new home for some known and emerging opportunist pathogens

The genus Dietzia has only been established fairly recently. The Gram morphology and colony appearance of the species of this genus is remarkably similar to Rhodococcus equi . In the absence of simple, accurate methods for their identification, Dietzia spp. might have been misidentified as a Rhodococcus spp. and/or considered to be contaminants only. This MiniReview is designed to summarize current evidence on the clinical significance of Dietzia species, to consider their potential role as human pathogens, and to outline approaches that can be used to accurately classify and identify members of the genus, with the overall aim of alerting the medical microbiological community to a little known genus that contains clinically significant organisms.     

一种改良的分枝菌酸提取及其非放射性TLC检测方法

分枝菌酸(mycolic acid, MA)是存在于分枝杆菌细胞壁中的独特长链脂肪酸,与分枝杆菌(mycobacterium)抵御不利环境、耐受抗生素和逃避宿主免疫密切相关,是较热门的抗结核药物筛选的靶点。MA的检测方法主要有放射性薄层层析(thin-layer chromatography, TLC)和液相色谱-质谱(liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer, LC-MS),受放射性元素使用资质和标准品等的限制,MA分析是分枝杆菌相关研究的一个难点。本研究采用一种普通薄层层析技术,并对使用四丁基氢氧化铵溶液水解酯化的分枝菌酸,将其甲酯化后再用无水乙醚萃取分枝菌酸甲酯的操作步骤进行改良,使分枝杆菌的MA提取及分析可在常规生物实验室中开展。研究通过比较不同分枝杆菌及不同生长时期的MA成分与亚型特征、检测靶向分枝菌酸合成通路的抗结核药物对细菌MA合成影响以及分枝杆菌突变株对结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mtb) H37Ra分枝菌酸合成影响等基础和应用研究的3个方面,进一步验证该方法在分枝杆菌MA分析中的实用性。结果表明该方法在不使用放射性元素和缺少标准品情况下可简便快速地分析MA及亚型特征,可广泛用于新型抗分枝杆菌药物筛选靶向分枝菌酸合成通路机制及基础研究中MA相关的分析和应用。     

Isolation of d-Pimaric and Dehydroabietic Acids from Pine Oleoresin as Antinicotinic Substances

Corynebacterium glutamicum belongs to the mycolic acid-containing actinomycetes, which also include Mycobacterium, Nocardia, and Rhodococcus. The cells of this group possess a cell wall with a thick outer layer composed primarily of mycolic acid, which functions as a permeability barrier. To investigate the mechanism of mycolic acid-containing layer (mycolate layer) formation, we have developed a fluorescence microscopic technique detecting the mycolate layer in situ. The staining specificity of fluorescence-labeled phospholipid analogs was determined by simultaneous staining with the hydrophobic fluorescent dye Nile Red and peptidoglycan-staining fluorescence-conjugated vancomycin. We found that fluorescence-labeled phospholipid analogs preferentially stain the mycolate layer. Using this technique, we observed the effect of the anti-mycobacterial drug ethambutol on C. glutamicum mycolate-layer formation. Ethambutol interfered specifically with mycolate-layer formation on the division planes and cell poles, while the side-wall mycolate layer was not severely affected. This indicates that mycolate-layer formation occurs mainly on division planes and cell poles in C. glutamicum, where the peptidoglycan layer is actively synthesized.     

D-氨基酸在细菌生理中的结构性能和调节功能的研究进展

除最小的甘氨酸外,所有的氨基酸(amino acid,AA)都有手性,以D-氨基酸(DAA)或L-氨基酸(LAA)形式存在。DAA广泛存在于各类生物中,尤其是细菌。DAA虽没有参与蛋白质合成,但DAA尤其是非典型DAA在细菌生理中具有很多特殊功能。在结构性能方面,DAA是细菌细胞壁肽聚糖的重要组分,并参与组成某些非核糖体合成途径产生的生物多肽,少数细菌能产生含有D-Glu的γ-聚谷氨酸。对细胞个体而言,DAA能调节细菌表面电荷和自溶素活性,抑制细菌芽胞萌发,调节稳定期细胞壁的重塑及调节病原菌的毒力等。对细菌群落而言,DAA对生物膜的解聚和细菌生态也具有调控作用。此外,某些DAA还能直接作为营养支持某些细菌的生长,而有的DAA则具有抑菌作用。本文主要综述了DAA在细菌生理过程中发挥多项功能的研究进展。     

Effects of culture conditions on the mycolic acid composition of isolates of Rhodococcus spp. from activated sludgefoams

The influence of two different carbon sources and three incubation temperatures on the mycolic acid compositions of three Rhodococcus isolates from activated sludge was examined using Selective Ion Monitoring (SIM) gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Considerable qualitative and quantitative differences were detected in the mycolic acid compositions of the three very closely related isolates grown under the same conditions. Culture age also affected both the chain lengths and proportions of saturated mycolic acids detected in cell extracts, but not in the same manner for each isolate. Mycolic acids generally were of shorter chain lengths in cells grown with Tween 80 compared to glucose grown cells in strain 11R but the opposite situation occurred with strains A7 and D5. In all three, the proportion of unsaturated mycolic acids decreased with increasing growth temperatures. The taxonomic relevance of these observations and possible explanations for the observed changes in mycolic acid composition under various culture conditions are discussed.