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Bacterial pathogenesis

Mycobacterial biotin biosynthesis counters airway alkalinity

Nature Microbiology volume 8, pages 369–370 (2023)Cite this article

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Mycobacterium abscessus requires high levels of biotin biosynthesis during infection, because this vitamin enables key adaptations to the alkaline lung airway environment through fatty acid remodelling that increases fluidity of the cell envelope.

Mycobacterium abscessus is an opportunistic pathogen that causes severe lung infections, particularly in patients with underlying lung disorders such as cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease1. The high pH in the airway lumen environment serves as a natural barrier, inhibiting the growth of many inhaled pathogens2, yet M. abscessus primarily colonizes this environment3. Although there are many cellular and animal models of M. abscessus pathogenesis4, they do not accurately simulate the pulmonary airway conditions where this bacterium causes infections, and it remains unclear how M. abscessus is able to survive such conditions. Now writing in Nature Microbiology, Sullivan and colleagues5 have developed a realistic air–liquid interface culture system for M. abscessus infection that they use to unveil the metabolic adaptations that enable this mycobacterium to withstand alkaline airway conditions, parlaying these results into potential therapeutic targets.

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Fig. 1: Biotin-dependent membrane remodelling in the adaptation of M. abscessus to the lung airways and opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9004, Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Wassim Daher & Laurent Kremer

  2. Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), IRIM, Montpellier, France

    Wassim Daher & Laurent Kremer

Authors
  1. Wassim Daher
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  2. Laurent Kremer
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Correspondence to Laurent Kremer.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Daher, W., Kremer, L. Mycobacterial biotin biosynthesis counters airway alkalinity. Nat Microbiol 8, 369–370 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01330-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01330-0

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