The loss of the PDIM/PGL virulence lipids causes differential secretion of ESX-1 substrates in Mycobacterium marinum .

The mycobacterial cell envelope is a major virulence determinant in pathogenic mycobacteria. Specific outer lipids play roles in pathogenesis, modulating the immune system and promoting the secretion of virulence factors. ESX-1 (ESAT-6 system-1) is a conserved protein secretion system required for mycobacterial pathogenesis (1, 2). Previous studies revealed that mycobacterial strains lacking the outer lipid PDIM have impaired ESX-1 function during laboratory growth and infection (3-5). The mechanisms underlying changes in ESX-1 function are unknown. We used a proteo-genetic approach to measure PDIM and PGL-dependent protein secretion in M. marinum , a non-tubercular mycobacterial pathogen that causes tuberculosis-like disease in ectothermic animals (6, 7). Importantly, M. marinum is a well-established model for mycobacterial pathogenesis (8, 9). Our findings showed that M. marinum strains without PDIM and PGL showed specific, significant reductions in protein secretion compared to the WT and complemented strains. We recently established a hierarchy for the secretion of ESX-1 substrates in four (I-IV) groups (10). Loss of PDIM differentially impacted secretion of Groups III and IV ESX-1 substrates, which are likely the effectors of pathogenesis. Our data suggests that the altered secretion of specific ESX-1 substrates is responsible for the observed ESX-1-related effects in PDIM-deficient strains.