Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv3406 is a type II alkyl sulfatase capable of sulfate scavenging.

The genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) encodes nine putative sulfatases, none of which have a known function or substrate. Here, we characterize Mtb's single putative type II sulfatase, Rv3406, as a non-heme iron (II) and α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase that catalyzes the oxidation and subsequent cleavage of alkyl sulfate esters. Rv3406 was identified based on its homology to the alkyl sulfatase AtsK from Pseudomonas putida.

Sulfolipid-1 biosynthesis restricts Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in human macrophages.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, is a highly evolved human pathogen characterized by its formidable cell wall. Many unique lipids and glycolipids from the Mtb cell wall are thought to be virulence factors that mediate host-pathogen interactions. An intriguing example is Sulfolipid-1 (SL-1), a sulfated glycolipid that has been implicated in Mtb pathogenesis, although no direct role for SL-1 in virulence has been established.

Elucidation and chemical modulation of sulfolipid-1 biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis possesses unique cell-surface lipids that have been implicated in virulence. One of the most abundant is sulfolipid-1 (SL-1), a tetraacyl-sulfotrehalose glycolipid. Although the early steps in SL-1 biosynthesis are known, the machinery underlying the final acylation reactions is not understood.

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis CysQ phosphatase modulates the biosynthesis of sulfated glycolipids and bacterial growth.

CysQ is a 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphatase that dephosphorylates intermediates from the sulfate assimilation pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Here, we demonstrate that cysQ disruption attenuates Mtb growth in vitro and decreases the biosynthesis of sulfated glycolipids but not major thiols, suggesting that the encoded enzyme specifically regulates mycobacterial sulfation.

Listeria monocytogenes 6-Phosphogluconolactonase mutants induce increased activation of a host cytosolic surveillance pathway.

Infection with wild-type Listeria monocytogenes activates a host cytosolic surveillance response characterized by the expression of beta interferon (IFN-beta). We performed a genetic screen to identify L. monocytogenes transposon insertion mutants that induced altered levels of host IFN-beta expression.

PapA3 is an acyltransferase required for polyacyltrehalose biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis possesses an unusual cell wall that is replete with virulence-enhancing lipids. One cell wall molecule unique to pathogenic M. tuberculosis is polyacyltrehalose (PAT), a pentaacylated, trehalose-based glycolipid.

Structural characterization of a novel sulfated menaquinone produced by stf3 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, produces unique sulfated metabolites associated with virulence. One such metabolite from M. tuberculosis lipid extracts, S881, has been shown to negatively regulate the virulence of M.

Conditional glycosylation in eukaryotic cells using a biocompatible chemical inducer of dimerization.

Chemical inducers of dimerization (CIDs) are cell-permeable small molecules capable of dimerizing two protein targets. The most widely used CID, the natural product rapamycin and its relatives, is immunosuppressive due to interactions with endogenous targets and thus has limited utility in vivo. Here we report a new biocompatible CID, Tmp-SLF, which dimerizes E.

PapA1 and PapA2 are acyltransferases essential for the biosynthesis of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence factor sulfolipid-1.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces numerous exotic lipids that have been implicated as virulence determinants. One such glycolipid, Sulfolipid-1 (SL-1), consists of a trehalose-2-sulfate (T2S) core acylated with four lipid moieties. A diacylated intermediate in SL-1 biosynthesis, SL(1278), has been shown to activate the adaptive immune response in human patients.

Lipidomics reveals control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence lipids via metabolic coupling.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis synthesizes specific polyketide lipids that interact with the host and are required for virulence. Using a mass spectrometric approach to simultaneously monitor hundreds of lipids, we discovered that the size and abundance of two lipid virulence factors, phthiocerol dimycocerosate (PDIM) and sulfolipid-1 (SL-1), are controlled by the availability of a common precursor, methyl malonyl CoA (MMCoA). Consistent with this view, increased levels of MMCoA led to increased abundance and mass of both PDIM and SL-1.

Sulfate metabolism in mycobacteria.

Pathogenic bacteria have developed numerous mechanisms to survive inside a hostile host environment. The human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) is thought to control the human immune response with diverse biomolecules, including a variety of exotic lipids.

A sulfated metabolite produced by stf3 negatively regulates the virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Sulfated molecules have been shown to modulate isotypic interactions between cells of metazoans and heterotypic interactions between bacterial pathogens or symbionts and their eukaryotic host cells. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, produces sulfated molecules that have eluded functional characterization for decades. We demonstrate here that a previously uncharacterized sulfated molecule, termed S881, is localized to the outer envelope of M.

Molecular basis for G protein control of the prokaryotic ATP sulfurylase.

Sulfate assimilation is a critical component of both primary and secondary metabolism. An essential step in this pathway is the activation of sulfate through adenylation by the enzyme ATP sulfurylase (ATPS), forming adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (APS). Proteobacterial ATPS overcomes this energetically unfavorable reaction by associating with a regulatory G protein, coupling the energy of GTP hydrolysis to APS formation.