MmpL3 is the flippase for mycolic acids in mycobacteria
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Abstract
Significance: Biological membranes define cellular boundaries, allow compartmentalization, and represent a prerequisite for life; yet, our understanding of membrane biogenesis remains rudimentary. Mycobacteria, including the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis , are surrounded by a double-membrane cell envelope that makes them intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics. Specifically, the outer membrane (OM) contains unique lipids called mycolic acids (MAs), whose transport mechanism across the envelope is unknown. In this study, we established the role of an essential membrane protein as the flippase for MAs and demonstrated that this protein is a direct target of an antimycobacterial compound. Our work provides insights into OM biogenesis and lipid transport in mycobacteria, and the means to evaluate drugs that disrupt MA transport at the inner membrane.
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MmpL3 is a floppase that flips TMM from the cytoplasmic to the periplasmic leaflet of the inner membrane.
“Using a novel M. smegmatis spheroplast assay, one inhibitor was used to show MmpL3 is a “floppase,” that flips TMM from the cytoplasmic to the periplasmic leaflet of the inner membrane (152).”
From Mycobacterium smegmatis: The Vanguard of Mycobacterial Research (2023) · cites this paper as [152]
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- Authors
- Xu, Z., Meshcheryakov, V. A., Poce, G., & Chng, S.-S.
- Affiliations
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2017-07-11
- Volume
- 114
- Issue
- 30
- Pages
- 7993-7998
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC5544280
- OpenAlex
- W2953309325
- Cited by
- 201
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 6
- FWCI
- 17.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- National University of Singapore (Start-up funding)
- Ministry of Education - Singapore (Tier 1 grant, Tier 2 grant (MOE2014-T2-1-042))
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Keywords
- MmpL3, mycolic acids, flippase, mycobacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, outer membrane biogenesis, lipid transport, antimycobacterial drug targets, membrane biogenesis
- MeSH terms
- Bacterial Proteins, Cord Factors, Membrane Proteins, Mycolic Acids, Piperazines, Pyrroles, Spheroplasts, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Lipid Metabolism
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