Glycerol monolaurate inhibits growth and is produced intracellularly in an ISG15-dependent manner.

Glycerol Monolaurate (GML) is a naturally occurring fatty acid monoester with antimicrobial properties. is an agent of bioterrorism known for its unique lipopolysaccharide structure and low immunogenicity. Here we assessed whether exogenous GML would inhibit the growth of . GML potently impeded growth and survival . To appraise the metabolic response to infection, we used GC-MS to survey the metabolome, and surprisingly, observed intracellular GML production following infection. Notably, the ubiquitin-like protein ISG15 was necessary for increased GML levels induced by bacterial infection, and enhanced ISG15 conjugation correlated with GML levels following serum starvation.