Commentary

Mycobacterium tuberculosis enters macrophages with aid from a bacterial lipid

Klaus Gawrisch
PNAS December 17, 2019 116 (51) 25372-25373; first published November 22, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1918900116

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In the paper titled “The conical shape of DIM lipids promotes Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of macrophages” in PNAS, Augenstreich et al. (1) report on molecular mechanisms underlying the virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria (Mtb) expressing phthiocerol dimycocerosate (DIM), a well-known constituent in the cell wall of Mtb (2⇓–4).

A critical step of tuberculosis (TB) infection is uptake of the foreign Mtb into macrophages, in particular, the macrophages of lung tissue where Mtb may survive for extended periods of time (5⇓–7). Macrophages recognize bacteria by their surface proteins and glycolipids. Attachment of Mtb to the surface is followed by entry via endocytosis and formation of a phagosome, a liposome inside the macrophage containing the extrinsic bacterium (8). Rates of uptake by endocytosis are limited by rates of fusion events at the plasma membrane of macrophages. Augenstreich et al. …

↵1Email: klausg{at}mail.nih.gov.

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis enters macrophages with aid from a bacterial lipid
Klaus Gawrisch
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Dec 2019, 116 (51) 25372-25373; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1918900116
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