Surfactant protein D inhibits mite-induced alveolar macrophage and dendritic cell activations through TLR signalling and DC-SIGN expression.

BACKGROUND: Surfactant protein D (SP-D), a secreted pattern recognition molecule associated with pulmonary innate immunity, has been shown to mediate the clearance of pathogens in multiple ways. However, how SP-D interacts with alveolar macrophages (AMs) and dendritic cells (DCs) during allergen exposure remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to characterize the immunomodulatory effects of SP-D on mite allergen (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Der p)-induced inflammatory signalling in AMs and DCs. METHODS: Murine AM, alveolar macrophage cell line derived from BALB/c mice (MH-S cells), and human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC) were used as model systems. The production of nitric oxide (NO) and TNF-alpha, expression of surface Toll-like receptors (TLRs), and expression of the C-type lectin receptor known as dendritic cell (DC)-specific ICAM-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) were measured as a function of pretreatment with SP-D and subsequent exposure to Der p. Der p-dependent cellular activations that were modified by SP-D in these model systems were then identified. RESULTS: Pretreatment of MH-S cells with SP-D reduced Der p-dependent production of NO, TNF-alpha, and the downstream activations of IL-1 receptor-associated kinase, mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase, and nuclear factor-kappaB. SP-D interacted with CD14 such that CD14 binding to Der p was inhibited and Der p-induced signalling via TLRs was blocked. DC-SIGN expression was suppressed by Der p in MH-S and MDDC; this down-regulation of DC-SIGN expression was prevented by pretreatment with SP-D. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that the inhibition of Der p-induced activation of MH-S and MDDC by SP-D is mediated through suppression of the CD14/TLR signalling pathway and maintenance of DC-SIGN expression, which may protect allergen-induced airway inflammation.

The mannose cap of mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan does not dominate the Mycobacterium-host interaction.

Pathogenic mycobacteria have the ability to persist in phagocytic cells and to suppress the immune system. The glycolipid lipoarabinomannan (LAM), in particular its mannose cap, has been shown to inhibit phagolysosome fusion and to induce immunosuppressive IL-10 production via interaction with the mannose receptor or DC-SIGN. Hence, the current paradigm is that the mannose cap of LAM is a crucial factor in mycobacterial virulence. However, the above studies were performed with purified LAM, never with live bacteria. Here we evaluate the biological properties of capless mutants of Mycobacterium marinum and M. bovis BCG, made by inactivating homologues of Rv1635c. We show that its gene product is an undecaprenyl phosphomannose-dependent mannosyltransferase. Compared with parent strain, capless M. marinum induced slightly less uptake by and slightly more phagolysosome fusion in infected macrophages but this did not lead to decreased survival of the bacteria in vitro, nor in vivo in zebra fish. Loss of caps in M. bovis BCG resulted in a sometimes decreased binding to human dendritic cells or DC-SIGN-transfected Raji cells, but no differences in IL-10 induction were observed. In mice, capless M. bovis BCG did not survive less well in lung, spleen or liver and induced a similar cytokine profile. Our data contradict the current paradigm and demonstrate that mannose-capped LAM does not dominate the Mycobacterium-host interaction.

[The role of human dendritic cells in tuberculosis: protector or non-protector?]. / Rôle des cellules dendritiques humaines dans la tuberculose: protecteur ou non protecteur?

INTRODUCTION: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of tuberculosis remains a pathogenic organism capable of infecting a large number of individuals and of resisting the immune response of the infected host. The main constituents of this response are the antigen presenting cells such as dendritic cells, macrophages and T lymphocytes. BACKGROUND: Comparative study of the interactions between M. tuberculosis and the antigen presenting cells has shown that dendritic cells do not permit intracellular growth of M. tuberculosis, unlike that seen in macrophages. A hostile intracellular compartment creates a bacteriostatic environment. M. tuberculosis is internalised by binding to a C-type lectin receptor (DC-SIGN). VIEWPOINT: This receptor recognises polysaccharide compounds on the surface of M. tuberculosis. This sugar-lectin bond may compensate for the bond between bacterial compounds and Toll receptors, partially inhibiting the protective inflammatory reaction or compensating for an excessive inflammatory reaction. CONCLUSIONS: This bond encourages both the persistence of quiescent bacteria in the dendritic cells and the reciprocal adaptation of the host and the bacteria over the course of time.

Acylation state of the phosphatidylinositol mannosides from Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette Guérin and ability to induce granuloma and recruit natural killer T cells.

Previous studies have found that, when injected into mice, glycolipidic fractions of mycobacterial cell walls containing phosphatidylinositol mannosides (PIM) induced a granuloma and recruitment of Natural Killer T cells in the lesions. The dimannoside (PIM(2)) and the hexamannoside (PIM(6)) PIM were isolated from Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette Guérin and shown to act alike, but the activity was found to be dependent on the presence of the lipidic part. The chemical structure of PIM was then re-evaluated, focusing on the characterization of their lipidic part, defining mono- to tetra-acylated PIM(2). The structure of these acyl forms was elucidated using a sophisticated combination of chemical degradations and analytical tools including electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry, electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry, and two-dimensional NMR. Finally, the acyl forms were purified by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and tested for their capacity to induce the granuloma and Natural Killer T cell recruitment. We found that there is an absolute requirement for the molecules to possess at least one fatty acyl chain, but the number, location, and size of the acyl chains was without effect. Moreover, increasing the complexity of the carbohydrate moiety did not lead to significant differences in the biological responses.

Structural characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lipoarabinomannans by the combination of capillary electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) associated with capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been used for structural characterization of mannooligosaccharide caps from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37rv mannosylated lipoarabinomannans (ManLAMs). The mannooligosaccharide caps were released by mild acid hydrolysis, labeled with 1-aminopyrene-3,6,8-trisulfonate (APTS) prior to being separated by CE, collected, and analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS and post-source decay experiments. This approach was optimized using standard APTS-labeled oligosaccharides. With the selected (9:1) mixture of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) and 5-methoxysalicylic acid (MSA) as matrix and the on-probe sample cleanup procedure with cation-exchange resin, standard APTS-maltotriose was successfully detected down to 50 fmol using linear-mode negative MALDI-TOF-MS. Moreover, using extraction delay time, only 100 and 500 fmol of this standard were required, respectively, to obtain accurate reflectron mass measurements and sequence determination through post-source decay experiments. Applied to only 5 microg (294 pmol) of M. tuberculosis ManLAMs, this analytical approach allowed successful mass characterization of the mannooligosaccharide cap structures from the deprotonated molecular ions [M - H]- and the y-type ion fragments obtained in post-source decay experiments. This powerful analytical approach opens new insights into both the characterization of oligosaccharides and the capping motifs displayed by ManLAMs purified from mycobacteria isolated from tubercular patients without in vitro culturing.

Mannosylated lipoarabinomannans inhibit IL-12 production by human dendritic cells: evidence for a negative signal delivered through the mannose receptor.

IL-12 is a key cytokine in directing the development of type 1 Th cells, which are critical to eradicate intracellular pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Here, we report that mannose-capped lipoarabinomannans (ManLAMs) from Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin and Mycobacterium tuberculosis inhibited, in a dose-dependent manner, the LPS-induced IL-12 production by human dendritic cells. The inhibitory activity was abolished by the loss of the mannose caps or the GPI acyl residues. Mannan, which is a ligand for the mannose receptor (MR) as well as an mAb specific for the MR, also inhibited the LPS-induced IL-12 production by dendritic cells. Our results indicate that ManLAMs may act as virulence factors that contribute to the persistence of M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin and M. tuberculosis within phagocytic cells by suppressing IL-12 responses. Our data also suggest that engagement of the MR by ManLAMs delivers a negative signal that interferes with the LPS-induced positive signals delivered by the Toll-like receptors.

Lipoarabinomannans activate the protein tyrosine kinase Hck in human neutrophils.

The mycobacterial lipoarabinomannans (LAMs) are glycosylphosphatidyl-myo-inositol-anchored lipoglycans with diverse biological activities. It has been shown that purified LAMs interact directly, or indirectly, through receptors with the plasma membrane receptors of target cells located in domains rich in glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins that contain Src family protein tyrosine kinases. To examine whether LAMs could activate Src-related kinases, human neutrophils were exposed to mannosylated LAMs (ManLAMs) purified from the vaccinal strain Mycobacterium bovis BCG and to phosphoinositol-capped LAMs (AraLAM or PILAM) obtained from the nonpathogenic species Mycobacterium smegmatis. We report first that both ManLAMs and PILAMs activate Hck in a rapid and transient manner and second that complete deacylation of ManLAM abolished its effect on Hck activity, thereby demonstrating that acylation of LAM but not mannosylation is critical for Hck activation. These data indicate that Hck is involved in the signaling pathway of LAMs, molecules known for their ability to trigger several responses in eukaryotic cells.

Mannosylated lipoarabinomannan antagonizes Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced macrophage apoptosis by altering Ca+2-dependent cell signaling.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced macrophage apoptosis can be inhibited by mannosylated lipoarabinomannan (ManLAM), although it induces tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and NO production, which participate in apoptosis induction. ManLAM also modulates Ca(+2)-dependent intracellular events, and Ca(+2) participates in apoptosis in different systems. Ca(+2) was assessed for involvement in M. tuberculosis-induced macrophage apoptosis and for modulation by ManLAM. The role of Ca(+2) was supported by the blockade of apoptosis by cAMP inhibitors and the Ca(+2) chelator, BAPTA/AM. These agents also inhibited caspase-1 activation and cAMP-responsive element-binding protein translocation without affecting TNF-alpha production. Infection of macrophages with M. tuberculosis induced an influx of Ca(+2) that was prevented by ManLAM. Similarly, M. tuberculosis infection-altered mitochondrial permeability transition was prevented by ManLAM and BAPTA/AM. Finally, ManLAM and BAPTA/AM reversed the effects of M. tuberculosis on p53 and Bcl-2 expression. ManLAM counteracts the alterations of calcium-dependent intracellular events that occur during M. tuberculosis-induced macrophage apoptosis.

New structural insights into the molecular deciphering of mycobacterial lipoglycan binding to C-type lectins: lipoarabinomannan glycoform characterization and quantification by capillary electrophoresis at the subnanomole level.

Lipoarabinomannans are key molecules of the mycobacterial envelopes involved in many steps of tuberculosis immunopathogenesis. Several of the biological activities of lipoarabinomannans are mediated by their ability to bind human C-type lectins, such as the macrophage mannose receptor, the mannose-binding protein and the surfactant proteins A and D. The lipoarabinomannan mannooligosaccharide caps have been demonstrated to be involved in the binding to the lectin carbohydrate recognition domains. We report an original analytical approach, based on capillary electrophoresis monitored by laser-induced fluorescence, allowing the absolute quantification, in nanomole quantities of lipoarabinomannan, of the number of mannooligosaccharide units per lipoarabinomannan molecule. Moreover, this analytical approach was successful for the glycosidic linkage determination of the mannooligosaccharide motifs and has been applied to the comparative analysis of parietal and cellular lipoarabinomannans of Mycobacterium bovis BCG and Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, H37Ra and Erdman strains. Significant differences were observed in the amounts of the various mannooligosaccharide units between lipoarabinomannans of different strains and between parietal and cellular lipoarabinomannans of the same strain. Nevertheless, no relationship was found between the number of mannooligosaccharide caps and the virulence of the corresponding strain. The results of the present study should help us to gain more understanding of the molecular basis of lipoarabinomannan discrimination in the process of binding to C-type lectins.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv parietal and cellular lipoarabinomannans. Characterization of the acyl- and glyco-forms.

Mannosylated lipoarabinomannans are multifaceted molecules. They have been shown to exert an immunosuppressive role in the immunopathogenesis of tuberculosis. They are also described as antigens of host double negative alphabeta T-cells. Delimitation of ManLAMs epitopes require knowledge of the precise structure of these molecules. The two major functional domains (the cap motifs and the phosphatidylinositol anchor) of the parietal and cellular ManLAMs of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv were investigated here. Using capillary electrophoresis, we established that parietal and cellular ManLAMs share the same capping motifs, mono-, di-, and trimannosyl units with the same relative abundance. By (31)P NMR analysis of the native LAMs in Me(2)SO-d(6), the major acyl-form of both parietal and cellular H37Rv ManLAM anchors, typified by the P3 phosphorus resonance, comprised a diacylglycerol unit. Three other acyl-forms were characterized in the cellular ManLAMs. Comparative analysis of the cellular Mycobacterium bovis BCG and M. tuberculosis ManLAM acyl-forms revealed the presence of the same populations, but with different relative abundance. The biological importance of the H37Rv ManLAM acyl-form characterization is discussed, particularly concerning the molecular mechanisms of binding of ManLAMs to the CD1 proteins involved in the presentation of ManLAMs to T-cell receptors.

Lipoglycans are putative ligands for the human pulmonary surfactant protein A attachment to mycobacteria. Critical role of the lipids for lectin-carbohydrate recognition.

The human pulmonary surfactant protein A (hSP-A) has been implicated in the early capture and phagocytosis of the pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis by alveolar macrophages. In this report, we examined the interaction of alveolar proteinosis patient hSP-A with Mycobacterium bovis BCG, the vaccinating strain, as a model of pathogenic mycobacteria, and Mycobacterium smegmatis, a nonpathogenic strain. We found that hSP-A binds to the surface of M. bovis BCG, but also to a slightly lesser extent, to M. smegmatis, indicating that hSP-A does not discriminate between virulent and nonpathogenic strains. Among the various glycoconjugates isolated from the mycobacterial envelope, we found that the best ligands are the two major lipoglycans: the mannosylated lipoarabinomannan (ManLAM) and the lipomannan. In contrast, the mannose-capped arabinomannan, structurally close to the ManLAM, as well as the LAMs from the non pathogenic M. smegmatis are poorly recognized by hSP-A. These results clearly show that the presence of both the terminal mannose residues and the phophatidyl-myo-inositol anchor are necessary to achieve the highest binding affinity. Selective removal of either the terminal mannose or the acyl residues esterifying the glycerol moiety of the ManLAM abrogates the interaction with hSP-A, further supporting the notion that the hSP-A recognition of the carbohydrate epitopes of the lipoglycans is dependent of the presence of the fatty acids.

Structural definition of arabinomannans from Mycobacterium bovis BCG.

The structures of the hydrophilic parietal and cellular arabinomannans isolated from Mycobacterium bovis BCG cell wall [Nigou et al. (1997) J Biol Chem 272: 23094-103] were investigated. Their molecular mass as determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was around 16 kDa. Concerning cap structure, capillary electrophoresis analysis demonstrated that dimannoside (Manpalpha1-->2Manp) was the most abundant motif (65-75%). Using two-dimensional 1H-13C NMR spectroscopy, the mannan core was unambiguously demonstrated to be composed of -->6Manpalpha1--> backbone substituted at some O-2 by a single Manp unit. The branching degree was determined as 84%. Finally, arabinomannans were found to be devoid of the phosphatidyl-myo-inositol anchor and, by aminonaphthalene disulfonate tagging, the mannan core was shown to contain a reducing end. This constitutes the main difference between arabinomannans and lipoarabinomannans from Mycobacterium bovis BCG.

Decreased capacity of recombinant 45/47-kDa molecules (Apa) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to stimulate T lymphocyte responses related to changes in their mannosylation pattern.

The Apa molecules secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, or BCG have been identified as major immunodominant antigens. Mass spectrometry analysis indicated similar mannosylation, a complete pattern from 1 up to 9 hexose residues/mole of protein, of the native species from the 3 reference strains. The recombinant antigen expressed in M. smegmatis revealed a different mannosylation pattern: species containing 7 to 9 sugar residues/mole of protein were in the highest proportion, whereas species bearing a low number of sugar residues were almost absent. The 45/47-kDa recombinant antigen expressed in E. coli was devoid of sugar residues. The proteins purified from M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, or BCG have a high capacity to elicit in vivo potent delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions and to stimulate in vitro sensitized T lymphocytes of guinea pigs immunized with living BCG. The recombinant Apa expressed in Mycobacterium smegmatis was 4-fold less potent in vivo in the DTH assay and 10-fold less active in vitro to stimulate sensitized T lymphocytes than the native proteins. The recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli was nearly unable to elicit DTH reactions in vivo or to stimulate T lymphocytes in vitro. Thus the observed biological effects were related to the extent of glycosylation of the antigen.

Deglycosylation of the 45/47-kilodalton antigen complex of Mycobacterium tuberculosis decreases its capacity to elicit in vivo or in vitro cellular immune responses.

A protection against a challenge with Mycobacterium tuberculosis is induced by previous immunization with living attenuated mycobacteria, usually bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). The 45/47-kDa antigen complex (Apa) present in culture filtrates of BCG of M. tuberculosis has been identified and isolated based on its ability to interact mainly with T lymphocytes and/or antibodies induced by immunization with living bacteria. The protein is glycosylated. A large batch of Apa was purified from M. tuberculosis culture filtrate to determine the extent of glycosylation and its role on the expression of the immune responses. Mass spectrometry revealed a spectrum of glycosylated molecules, with the majority of species bearing six, seven, or eight mannose residues (22, 24, and 17%, respectively), while others three, four, or five mannoses (5, 9, and 14%, respectively). Molecules with one, two, or nine mannoses were rare (1.5, 3, and 3%, respectively), as were unglycosylated species (in the range of 1%). To eliminate the mannose residues linked to the protein, the glycosylated Apa molecules were chemically or enzymatically treated. The deglycosylated antigen was 10-fold less active than native molecules in eliciting delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions in guinea pigs immunized with BCG. It was 30-fold less active than native molecules when assayed in vitro for its capacity to stimulate T lymphocytes primed in vivo. The presence of the mannose residues on the Apa protein was essential for the antigenicity of the molecules in T-cell-dependent immune responses in vitro and in vivo.

Characterization of mannooligosaccharide caps in mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan by capillary electrophoresis/electrospray mass spectrometry.

A new analytical approach based on capillary electrophoresis-electrospray mass spectrometry (CE/ESI-MS) has provided new insight into the characterization of mannooligosaccharide caps from lipoarabinomannans (LAMs), which are key molecules in the immunopathogenesis of tuberculosis. This analytical approach requires oligosaccharide labeling with the fluorophore 1-aminopyrene-3,6,8-trisulfonate (APTS) by reductive amination at the reducing termini. Optimization of the separation and ionization conditions, such as the choice of capillary electrophoresis (CE) electrolyte buffers, is presented and discussed. Anionic separation of the mono and oligosaccharide APTS derivatives was finally achieved with aqueous triethylammonium formate buffer. It was found that in contrast to the triethylammonium phosphate buffer, the triethylammonium formate buffer was appropriate for CE/ESI-MS coupling analysis of APTS-carbohydrate derivatives. In this case, negative ESI-mass spectra of APTS-carbohydrate adducts showed mainly (M-2H)2-pseudomolecular ions and some sequence fragment ions allowing their non-ambiguous structural characterization at the picomolar level. This analytical approach was successfully applied to more complex mixtures of carbohydrates released by mild acid hydrolysis of the lipoarabinomannans from Mycobacterium bovis BCG. The APTS-mannooligosaccharide cap adducts were separated by CE and their structural characterization achieved by CE/ESI-MS analyses. Mannooligosaccharide caps were routinely analyzed by capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) from 50 fmol of lipoarabinomannans with mannosyl capping (ManLAMs) but sensitivity was about 50 times lower using ESI-MS detection.

Structural study of the lipomannans from Mycobacterium bovis BCG: characterisation of multiacylated forms of the phosphatidyl-myo-inositol anchor.

A biosynthetic filiation is postulated between the mycobacterial phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosides (PIMs), the lipomannans (LMs) and the lipoarabinomannans (LAMs), the major antigens of the envelopes. Moreover, as the PI anchor is thought to play a role in the biological functions of the LAMs, we characterized the lipid moiety of the PI anchor from Mycobacterium bovis BCG cellular LMs. Their structure was investigated along with that of a purified tetra-acylated form of PIM2 (Ac4PIM2). A two-dimensional 1H-31P heteronuclear multiple quantum correlation homonuclear Hartmann-Hahn spectroscopy study of Ac4PIM2 unambiguously localised a fourth fatty acid on the C3 of the myo-Ins beside the fatty acids already described on the C1 and C2 position of the glycerol and on the C6 position of the mannose. This analytical strategy was extended to the structural study of the cellular LM anchor. Using an appropriate solvent system, the one dimensional 31P NMR spectrum exhibited four major resonances typifying the LM populations. These populations differed in number and location of the fatty acids. For one of these populations, we established the presence of an extra fatty acid on the C3 of the myo-Ins of the LM anchor. The fact that both types of molecules have an elaborated anchor in common, indicates that cellular LMs are multimannosylated forms of PIMs. In addition, the LM mannan core structure was analysed by two-dimensional NMR, pointing to a high level of branching by single alpha1-->2 Manp side-chains.

Lipoarabinomannans: characterization of the multiacylated forms of the phosphatidyl-myo-inositol anchor by NMR spectroscopy.

Lipoarabinomannans, which exhibit a large spectrum of immunological activities, emerge as the major antigens of mycobacterial envelopes. The lipoarabinomannan structure is based on a phosphatidyl-myo-inositol anchor whose integrity has been shown to be crucial for lipoarabinomannan biological activity and particularly for presentation to CD4/CD8 double-negative alphabetaT cells by CD1 molecules. In this report, an analytical approach was developed for high-resolution 31P-NMR analysis of native, i.e. multiacylated, lipoarabinomannans. The one-dimensional 31P spectrum of cellular lipoarabinomannans, from Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, exhibited four 31P resonances typifying four types of lipoarabinomannans. Two-dimensional 1H-31P heteronuclear multiple-quantum-correlation/homonuclear Hartmann-Hahn analysis of the native molecules showed that these four types of lipoarabinomannan differed in the number and localization of fatty acids (from 1 to 4) esterifying the anchor. Besides the three acylation sites previously described, i.e. positions 1 and 2 of glycerol and 6 of the mannosyl unit linked to the C-2 of myo-inositol, we demonstrate the existence of a fourth acylation position at the C-3 of myo-inositol. We report here the first structural study of native multiacylated lipoarabinomannans, establishing the structure of the intact phosphatidyl-myo-inositol anchor. Our findings would help gain more understanding of the molecular basis of lipoarabinomannan discrimination in the binding process to CD1 molecules.

Relationships between the structure and the roles of lipoarabinomannans and related glycoconjugates in tuberculosis pathogenesis.

The mechanisms and the molecular basis of the mycobacteria virulence remain obscure. However, recent findings provide evidences that, among the glycoconjugates which compose the mycobacterial envelope, lipoglycans including lipoarabinomannan, lipomannan and phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosides, are involved in the major steps of the tuberculosis immunopathogenesis. These steps are the mycobacterial phagocytosis process and the macrophage activation via the regulation of the production and secretion of cytokines. In this article, we examine recent observations about comparative structural models of the lipoglycans from the pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain, and the vaccinal M. bovis BCG strain, and finally avirulent mycobacteria strains. We also consider the role of the lipoglycans in the mycobacterial phagocytosis process and in the regulation of the macrophage microbicidal activity.

Newly found 2-N-acetyl-2,6-dideoxy-beta-glucopyranose containing methyl glucose polysaccharides in M.bovis BCG: revised structure of the mycobacterial methyl glucose lipopolysaccharides.

The specific mycobacterial methyl polysaccharides 3- O -methyl mannose polysaccharide (MMP) and the 6- O -methyl glucose lipopolysaccharides (MGLPs) were shown to modulate the fatty acid biosynthesis by the mycobacterial fatty acid synthetase I (FAS I). This activity is attributed to their fatty acid complexing properties allowing the release of the neo synthesized fatty acyl chain from the enzyme and probably their transport in the cell. To elucidate, at a molecular level, the mechanism of this unusual kind of polysaccharide-lipid biological interaction, we first analyzed, by mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, the structure of the polysaccharidic backbone (MGPs) of the MGLPs from Mycobacterium bovis BCG. This work reveals that this strain produces a new kind of MGP containing an unusual monosaccharide never described in the mycobacterial genus: a 2- N -acetyl-2,6-dideoxy-beta-glucopyranosyl. In addition,1H NMR data afforded evidence for the revision of three glycosidic linkages described previously. These modifications affect mainly the reducing end tetrasaccharide and have great consequences on the previously proposed molecular model of the MGP.

Direct evidence of methylglucose lipopolysaccharides/palmitoyl-CoA noncovalent complexes by capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray/mass spectrometry.

Mycobacterial methylglucose lipopolysaccharides (MGLPs) play an important regulatory role in the biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids by forming complexes with neosynthesized acyl-CoA fatty acid derivatives. The MGLPs from Mycobacterium smegmatis were purified by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography and characterized by LSIMS and CE/ESI-MS. We investigated their interaction with palmitoyl-CoA using capillary zone electrophoresis with both direct and indirect UV detection. In the latter mode, the signal of the UV-transparent MGLPs decreased upon addition of increasing amounts of palmitoyl-CoA; while using direct UV detection, the addition of palmitoyl-CoA to the MGLPs revealed characteristic profiles. The major peak was assigned to the noncovalent MGLP/palmitoyl-CoA complex on the basis of its electrophoretic mobility. The abundance of the complex was found to increase until the MGLP/palmitoyl-CoA molar ratio reached a 1/1 stoichiometry. The existence of and the stoichiometry of this complex were assessed by CE/ESI mass spectrum analysis, showing pseudomolecular ions of the MGLP/palmitoyl-CoA complex. These results confirm that CE/ESI-MS is a powerful tool to characterize noncovalent molecular association.