title: Monstrous Mycobacterial Lipids.
abstract: When it comes to lipid diversity, no bacterial genus approaches Mycobacterium. In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Burbaud et al. (2016) provide a multi-genic working model for the biosynthesis of trehalose polyphleate (TPP), one of the largest known lipids in mycobacteria. They demonstrate that this lipid is made by diverse mycobacterial species, including those of medical importance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11790, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seeliger
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: bmoody@partners.org.
authors.forename: D Branch
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Moody
mesh_terms: D008055:Lipids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D009161:Mycobacterium; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D014199:Trehalose / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D014199:Trehalose