title: Ethambutol inhibition of glucose metabolism in mycobacteria: a possible target of the drug.
abstract: The addition of D-arabinose, D-galactose, D-glucosamine, or D-mannose to the growth medium of Mycobacterium smegmatis suppressed the inhibitory effects of ethambutol both on acetate labeling of cell wall-linked mycolic acids and on the increase in the delipidated cell dry weight. The addition of D-glucose or D-fructose had no effect. It is proposed that ethambutol inhibits an early step of glucose conversion into the monosaccharides used for the biosynthesis of structurally and biologically important cell wall polysaccharides: arabinogalactan, arabinomannan, and peptidoglycan.
authors.affiliation: Département des Glycoconjugués et Biomembranes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Silve
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valero-Guillen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quemard
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dupont
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daffe
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Laneelle
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004977:Ethambutol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005685:Galactans / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009171:Mycolic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005685:Galactans; D009171:Mycolic Acids; D011134:Polysaccharides; D004977:Ethambutol; D005947:Glucose; C005653:arabinogalactan