title: Cholesteroid nature of free mycolic acids from M. tuberculosis.
abstract: Mycolic acids (MAs) are a major component of the cell walls of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and related organisms. These alpha-alkyl beta-hydroxy long fatty acids have been the subject of numerous studies for their immunological properties. We previously reported that an interaction between cholesterol and mycolic acids could be responsible for the low accuracy in the serodiagnosis of TB when using free mycolic acid in an ELISA assay. The aim of this work was to investigate if this interaction could be due to a similarity in the structural properties between mycolic acids and cholesterol. The investigation revealed that patient sera cross-reacted with mycolic acids and cholesterol in an ELISA experiment suggesting that both molecules may present related functionality in a similar structural orientation. This relation was further supported by the interaction of mycolic acids with Amphotericin B (AmB), a known binding agent to ergosterol and cholesterol. Using a resonant mirror biosensor, we observed that AmB recognised both cholesterol and mycolic acids. In addition, a specific attraction was observed between mycolic acid and cholesterol by the accumulation of cholesterol from liposomes in suspension onto immobilized mycolic acids containing liposomes, detected with a biosensor technique. Combined, these results suggest that mycolic acids can assume a three-dimensional conformation similar to a sterol. This requires that mycolic acid exposes its hydroxyl group and assumes rigidity in its chain structure to generate a hydrophobic surface topology matching that of cholesterol. A particular folded conformation would be required for this, of which a few different types have already been proven to exist in monolayers of mycolic acids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Yolandy
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Benadie
authors.forename: Madrey
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deysel
authors.forename: D Gilbert R
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Siko
authors.forename: Vanessa V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Wyngaardt
authors.forename: Simon T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Thanyani
authors.forename: Gianna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sekanka
authors.forename: Annemieke M C
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ten Bokum
authors.forename: Lynne A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Collett
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grooten
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Verschoor
mesh_terms: D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000737:chemistry; D001671:Biochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000737:chemistry; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004875:Ergosterol / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D009171:Mycolic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D011485:Protein Binding; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D009171:Mycolic Acids; D000666:Amphotericin B; D002784:Cholesterol; D004875:Ergosterol