DECIPHERING MYCOBACTERIAL LIPID BIOSYNTHESIS REGULATION

GAGO, GABRIELA

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta Sociedades de Biociencias de Argentina- LIII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (SAIB); 2017

SAIB

Besides the relevance of lipid derived molecules in M.tuberculosis pathogenicity, little is known about the environmentalsignals and regulatory cascades involved inthe global regulation of lipid metabolism in this bacteriumand how lipid homeostasis is maintained for survival andduring infection. Our work is directed to fulfill some ofthese gaps by studying in detail the elements and mechanismsthat regulate lipid homeostasis in M. tuberculosis,how they impact in the biosynthesis and composition ofits cell wall and how host-pathogen lipid metabolisms interact.Mycobacteria are unusual in possessing two fattyacid synthase (FAS) systems, the eukaryotic-like FAS Iand the prokaryotic-like FAS II. We initiated our researchproject with the identification and characterization of thecomponents of the transcriptional regulation network thatkeeps these two systems tightly regulated and foundthey were essential for survival. We have constructedand analyzed several conditional mutants in the componentsidentified. The results obtained using lipidomic,proteomic and transcriptomic studies helped us to notonly comprehend the physiology and physiopathology ofthis harmful pathogen but also to identify new targets thatcan be used for the screening of new antimycobacterialcompounds