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Review
. 2019 Jun 18;7(6):177.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms7060177.

Comparing the Metabolic Capabilities of Bacteria in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex

Rachael A Fieweger  1 , Kaley M Wilburn  2 , Brian C VanderVen  3
Affiliations
Review

Comparing the Metabolic Capabilities of Bacteria in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex

Rachael A Fieweger et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Pathogenic mycobacteria are known for their ability to maintain persistent infections in various mammals. The canonical pathogen in this genus is Mycobacterium tuberculosis and this bacterium is particularly successful at surviving and replicating within macrophages. Here, we will highlight the metabolic processes that M. tuberculosis employs during infection in macrophages and compare these findings with what is understood for other pathogens in the M. tuberculosis complex.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex; carbon metabolism; cholesterol; fatty acids; macrophages; tuberculosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Central metabolic pathways of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Central metabolic enzymes discussed in text indicated in red and methyl-branched polyketide lipids indicated in grey box. PEP, phosphoenolpyruvate; PYR, pyruvate; CIT, citrate; ISOCIT, isocitrate; SUC, succinate; MAL, malate; OOA, oxaloacetate; MM-CoA, methylmalonyl-CoA; PDIM, phthiocerol-dimycocerosate; PAT, polyacyl-trehalose; SL-1, sulfolipid; PckA, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase; PykA, pyruvate kinase; PpdK, pyruvate phosphate dikinase.
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