Phosphatidylinositol Mannosides of Mycobacterium species

Definition of the first mannosylation step in phosphatidylinositol mannoside synthesis. PimA is essential for growth of mycobacteria.

We examined the function of the pimA (Rv2610c) gene, located in the vicinity of the phosphatidylinositol synthase gene in the genomes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis, which encodes a putative mannosyltransferase involved in the early steps of phosphatidylinositol mannoside synthesis. A cell-free assay was developed in which membranes from M. smegmatis overexpressing th...

Effect of growth temperature on the lipid composition of Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC 607.

The total lipid content of Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC 607 was the same whether it was grown at 27 or 37 degrees C. The total phospholipid content, however, increased significantly at 27 degrees C. Phosphatidylethanolamine increased most markedly with a simultaneous decrease in phosphatidylinositol mannosides. Among individual phosphatidylinositol mannosides, tri- and tetra-acylated dimannopho...

Role of phosphatidylinositol mannosides in the interaction between mycobacteria 1 and DC - SIGN

Synthesis of glycoconjugate fragments of mycobacterial phosphatidylinositol mannosides and lipomannan

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causitive agent of tuberculosis (TB), possesses a complex cell wall containing mannose-rich glycophospholids termed phosphatidylinositol mannosides (PIMs), lipomannan (LM), and lipoarabinomannan (LAM). These glycophospholipids play important roles in cell wall function and host-pathogen interactions. Synthetic PIM/LM/LAM substructures are useful biochemical tools...

Biosynthesis of mycobacterial phosphatidylinositol mannosides.

All mycobacterial species, including pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis, synthesize an abundant class of phosphatidylinositol mannosides (PIMs) that are essential for normal growth and viability. These glycolipids are important cell-wall and/or plasma-membrane components in their own right and can also be hyperglycosylated to form other wall components, such as lipomannan and lipoarabinomann...