Turning Mycobacterium tuberculosis appetite for fatty acids against itself

Mycobacterium tuberculosis – tuberculosis (TB) etiologic agent – thrives in infection foci notorious for lipid accumulation, setting the selective pressure for the utilization of lipids as a preferred carbon source. Interestingly, host lipids, in specific free fatty acids (FFA), are also potent antimicrobial agents. FFA dual nature led us to hypothesize that M. tuberculosis expresses FFA resistant factors to ensure a safe utilization of lipids. Using transposon sequencing, we have identified 38 proteins belonging to M. tuberculosis FFA resistome. As a functional follow-up, we demonstrated that the screen top hit is essential for a balanced FFA uptake/catabolism. Collectively, we uncovered new aspects of M. tuberculosis biology and identified a high value target space for TB drug development.

Tiago Beites, PhD (i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health)

Tiago Beites obtained his PhD degree in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto in 2013. In 2015, he joined Weill Cornell Medicine (New York, USA) as a postdoctoral associate to work on fundamental biology of the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. From 2020 until 2023, he held junior faculty positions in the same institution. In 2023, he joined i3S – University of Porto and currently leads a team under the umbrella concept of pathogens target biology.

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