Association of Mycobacterium Proteins with Lipid Droplets

Abstract

Mycobacterium spp. are one of the few prokaryotes known to produce lipid droplets (LDs), and their production has been linked to aspects of persistent infection by M. tuberculosis . Unfortunately, little is known about LD production in these organisms, including how LDs are formed, their function, or the identity of proteins that associate with them. In this study, an established M. tuberculosis LD protein and a surrogate Mycobacterium host were used as model systems to study the interactions between proteins and LDs in bacteria. Through these studies, we identified a commonly occurring protein motif that is able to facilitate the association of proteins to LDs in prokaryotes.