Mintu Nandi

Apr 25, 2024 | biorxiv.org | Debraj Koiri |Mintu Nandi |Abik Hameem PM |Aher Jayesh Bhausaheb

AbstractMycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) evades host defense by hijacking and rupturing the phagosome, enabling it to escape to the host cytosol for its survival. ESAT-6, a secreted virulence protein of Mtb, is known to be critical for phagosome rupture. However, the mechanism of ESAT-6-mediated disruption of the phagosomal membrane remains unknown. Using in vitro reconstitution and numerical simulations, we discover that ESAT-6 polymerization remodels and vesiculates phagosomal membrane.