Dynamics of Intracellular Metabolites in Mycobacterium leprae

Abstract

  Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, possesses unique features including inability to proliferate in vitro. In the cellular components of M. leprae, the fate of intracellular metabolites, assumed to be associated with such physiology, remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that amino acid species are significantly accumulated, while most of intermediates related to central carbon metabolism markedly decreased, in the intracellular metabolite fraction of M. leprae, as compared with that of other mycobacteria. Our results show the unique metabolite dynamics of M. leprae for the first time and these insights might contribute to understanding the physiological characteristics of leprosy.