01570nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002500055653002400080653001600104653001100120653002100131653002300152653001100175653002400186653001800210653002900228653001500257653002400272653001400296653002200310100001900332700001500351700001500366245009500381300001100476490000700487520073600494022001401230       2009                            d  c2009 Aug10aAntigen Presentation10aAntigens, Bacterial10aGlycolipids10aHumans10aImmune Tolerance10aImmunity, Cellular10aLipids10aLipopolysaccharides10aMycobacterium10aMycobacterium Infections10aPhagosomes10aSignal Transduction10aVirulence10aVirulence Factors1 aGuenin-Macé L1 aSiméone R1 aDemangel C00aLipids of pathogenic Mycobacteria: contributions to virulence and host immune suppression.  a255-680 v563 a<p>Mycobacteria are characterized by a complex cell wall, the lipid nature of which confers to the bacilli resistance to drying, acid or alkaline conditions, and to chemical disinfectants and therapeutic agents. Pathogenic species, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. leprae and M. ulcerans, have evolved various strategies to establish residence in their hosts and provoke long-term infections. There is mounting evidence that the unique lipids composing their envelopes, strategically located at the host-pathogen interface, contribute to their escape from immune surveillance. Here, the chemical structure, host cell receptors and biological actions of this emerging class of mycobacterial virulence factors are reviewed.</p>  a1865-1674