A multi-scale and multidisciplinary analysis of the exact mechanisms of action of cell wall lipid virulence factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis – MTBLipVir

A multi-scale and multidisciplinary analysis of the exact mechanisms of action of cell wall lipid virulence factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Human tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem throughout the world, causing death, suffering and economic loss. Urgent action is therefore needed to assist ongoing multi-drug therapy programs. The MTBLipVir project addresses a key gap in the knowledge of how pathogenic mycobacteria cause disease in humans. We aim to elucidate the intimate molecular mechanisms of action of cell wall lipid virulence factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the crosstalk with the host and the dissemination. The originality and novelty of the proposal lie in targeting specifically the hydrophobic motifs of lipids to understand how they impact the biophysical properties of host cell membranes to the pathogen’s advantage. Designed to generate new insight into a complex phenomenon, the MTBLipVir project may open new ways to attack TB and, importantly, should have an impact beyond the field of mycobacteria with a possible application to cell wall lipids of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens.