Modelling the action of Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence factors on macrophage membrane : one lipid at a time

Orateur : Matthieu CHAVENT (Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Toulouse)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the main causative agent of the disease Tuberculosis. Among the various factors associated with the Mtb virulence, lipids constituting the bacterial cell wall have recently gained attention. These lipids can be used as virulence effectors acting at the macrophage membrane to damage it and modulate immune response. Phthiocerol dimycocerosate (DIM) is one of these main virulence factors. Multi-scale molecular modeling combined with 31P-NMR experiments revealed that DIM shape induces negative membrane curvature. Infection of macrophages pre-treated with lipids of various shapes, underpined the role of membrane curvature in the process of phagocytosis. Taken together, these results show how the molecular structure of DIM leads to the modulation of macrophage biological functions, such as phagocytosis.

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