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Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Analysis of the Lipid Composition of Mycobacteria by Thin Layer Chromatography
Published on: April 16, 2021
Lipid Clustering in Mycobacterial Cell Envelope Layers Governs Spatially Resolved Solvation Dynamics
Pranav Adhyapak1, Wanqian Dong2, Souradip Dasgupta1
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India.
Abstract:
The mycobacterial cell envelope acts as a multilayered barrier to drugs. However, the role of lipid composition in the properties of different mycobacterial membranes, otherwise dictating their interactions with drugs, is poorly understood. In this study, we found that hydration states, solvation relaxation kinetics, rotational lipid mobility, and lateral lipid diffusion differed between inner and outer mycobacterial membranes. Molecular modeling showed that lipid clustering patterns governed membrane dynamics in the different layers of the cell envelope. By regulating membrane properties, lipid composition and structure modulated water abundance and interactions with lipid head groups. These findings can help deepen our understanding of the physical chemistry underlying membrane structure and function, as well as the interaction of mycobacterial membranes with drugs and host membranes.
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