Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42000959›Full record

ArticleCommunications biology2026

Mycobacterium tuberculosis long-chain fatty acid resistome reveals universal stress protein TB15.3 as essential for infection.

Alexandre J Pinto, Marco Silva, Joana A Santos, Brian C VanderVen, Rodrigo Monteiro, Dirk Schnappinger, Sabine Ehrt, Tiago Beites

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Alexandre J Pinto *i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2950-8145
Marco Silva *i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6339-1446
Joana A Santosi3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8294-3405
Brian C VanderVenMicrobiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3655-4390
Rodrigo Monteiroi3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2312-3989
Dirk SchnappingerDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4445-7219
Sabine EhrtDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA. sae2004@med.cornell.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7951-2310
Tiago Beitesi3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. tbeites@i3s.up.pt.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7366-2107

Funding

Characterization of the nutrient assimilation pathways in M. tuberculosisR01AI150916 · NIAID · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · PI VANDERVEN, BRIAN C · 2021 to 2025
$2.9M
"la Caixa" Foundation (Caixa Foundation) LCF/PR/HR24/52440021U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) R01AI150916U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) R21 AI168506-01A1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) thrives in lipid-rich microenvironments. A strong body of evidence demonstrated that, during infection, Mtb utilizes long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) as a preferred carbon source. However, LCFA also have antimicrobial properties. Mtb must therefore employ mechanisms to utilize LCFA while mitigating their toxicity. Using transposon sequencing (TnSeq), we defined the Mtb LCFA resistome as comprising 38 genes. Surprisingly, LCFA resistance requires diverse metabolic pathways, indicating pleiotropic effects of LCFA on Mtb physiology. We investigated the function of the TnSeq top-hit, the universal stress protein TB15.3, and demonstrate that it participates in a "metabolic brake" mechanism restricting LCFA uptake and catabolism to prevent membrane hyperpolarization. TB15.3 absence caused Mtb to lose viability during chronic infection in mice and in an in vitro caseum model. Our work highlights Mtb LCFA resistance mechanisms as an important host adaptation and a promising target space for drug development.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsFatty AcidsMycobacterium tuberculosisTuberculosisAnimalsHumansMiceBacterial ProteinsFatty Acids

Identifiers

PMID42000959
PMCPMC13279779

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.