Genetics of Capsular Polysaccharides and Cell Envelope (Glyco) lipids

This article summarizes what is currently known of the structures, physiological roles, involvement in pathogenicity, and biogenesis of a variety of noncovalently bound cell envelope lipids and glycoconjugates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other Mycobacterium species. Topics addressed in this article include phospholipids; phosphatidylinositol mannosides; triglycerides; isoprenoids and related compounds (polyprenyl phosphate, menaquinones, carotenoids, noncarotenoid cyclic isoprenoids); acyltrehaloses (lipooligosaccharides, trehalose mono-and di-mycolates, sulfolipids, di-and polyacyltrehaloses); mannosyl-beta-1-phosphomycoketides; glycopeptidolipids; phthiocerol dimycocerosates, parahydroxybenzoic acids, and phenolic glycolipids; mycobactins; mycolactones; and capsular polysaccharides.