Protein-protein interactions within the Fatty Acid Synthase-II system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are essential for mycobacterial viability

Mol Microbiol. 2004 Dec;54(5):1161-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2004.04334.x.

Abstract

Despite the existence of efficient chemotherapy, tuberculosis remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide. New drugs are urgently needed to reduce the potential impact of the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of the causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The front-line antibiotic isoniazid (INH), and several other drugs, target the biosynthesis of mycolic acids and especially the Fatty Acid Synthase-II (FAS-II) elongation system. This biosynthetic pathway is essential and specific for mycobacteria and still represents a valuable system for the search of new anti-tuberculous agents. Several data, in the literature, suggest the existence of protein-protein interactions within the FAS-II system. These interactions themselves might serve as targets for a new generation of drugs directed against Mtb. By using an extensive in vivo yeast two-hybrid approach and in vitro co-immunoprecipitation, we have demonstrated the existence of both homotypic and heterotypic interactions between the known components of FAS-II. The condensing enzymes KasA, KasB and mtFabH interact with each other and with the reductases MabA and InhA. Furthermore, we have designed and constructed point mutations of the FAS-II reductase MabA, able to disrupt its homotypic interactions and perturb the interaction pattern of this protein within FAS-II. Finally, we showed by a transdominant genetic approach that these mutants are dominant negative in both non-pathogenic and pathogenic mycobacteria. These data allowed us to draw a dynamic model of the organization of FAS-II. They also represent an important step towards the design of a new generation of anti-tuberculous agents, as being inhibitors of essential protein-protein interactions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3-Oxoacyl-(Acyl-Carrier-Protein) Synthase / metabolism
  • Acetyltransferases / genetics
  • Acetyltransferases / metabolism*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Fatty Acid Synthase, Type II
  • Genetic Complementation Test
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Models, Molecular
  • Multienzyme Complexes / genetics
  • Multienzyme Complexes / metabolism*
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / enzymology*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / physiology
  • Oxidoreductases / genetics
  • Oxidoreductases / metabolism
  • Point Mutation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Interaction Mapping*
  • Two-Hybrid System Techniques

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Multienzyme Complexes
  • Oxidoreductases
  • InhA protein, Mycobacterium
  • Acetyltransferases
  • KasB protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • 3-Oxoacyl-(Acyl-Carrier-Protein) Synthase
  • Fatty Acid Synthase, Type II