Abstract
The defining feature of the mycobacterial outer membrane (OM) is the presence of mycolic acids (MAs), which in part render the bilayer extremely hydrophobic and impermeable to external insults, including many antibiotics. While the biosynthetic pathway of MAs is well studied, the mechanism(s) by which these lipids are transported across the cell envelope is(are) much less known. MmpL3, an essential inner membrane (IM) protein, is implicated in MA transport, but its exact function has not been elucidated. It is believed to be the cellular target of several anti-mycobacterial compounds; however, evidence for direct inhibition of MmpL3 activity is also lacking. Here, we establish that MmpL3 is the MA flippase at the IM of mycobacteria, and show that a 1,5-diarylpyrrole compound, BM212, directly inhibits this activity. We develop assays that selectively access mycolates on the surface of Mycobacterium smegmatis spheroplasts, allowing us to monitor flipping of MAs across the IM. Using these assays, we establish the mechanism-of-action of BM212 as an MmpL3 inhibitor, and employ it as a molecular probe to demonstrate the requirement of functional MmpL3 for the transport of MAs across the IM. Our work provides fundamental insights into OM biogenesis and MA transport in mycobacteria. Furthermore, our assays serve as an important platform for accelerating the validation of small molecules that target MmpL3, and their development as future anti-tuberculosis drugs.
Significance statement 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 contains unique lipids called mycolic acids, whose transport mechanism across the envelope is unknown. In this study, we established the role of an essential membrane protein as the flippase for mycolic acids, and demonstrated that this protein is a target of putative anti-tuberculosis compounds. Our work provides insights into outer membrane biogenesis and lipid transport in mycobacteria, and also the means to evaluate drugs that disrupt mycolic acid transport at the inner membrane.
Classification Biological Sciences - Biochemistry
Footnotes
The authors declare no conflict of interest.