Phosphatidylmyo-inositol Mannosides (PIMs) are a family of glycolipids found in the cell wall of ''

Mycobacterium tuberculosis ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (M. tb) is a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis. First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, ''M. tuberculosis'' has an unusual, waxy coating on it ...

''. PIMs influence the interaction of the

immune system The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splinte ...

with ''M. tuberculosis'', and mice that develop

antibodies An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of ...

for this family of glycolipids are better at sustaining or defeating a ''M. tuberculosis'' infection. Thus, PIMs are important glycolipids associated with ''M. tuberculosis'', but are also likely involved with the process by which ''M. tuberculosis'' subverts the immune system.Vergne, I., R. A. Fratti, P. J. Hill, J. Chua, J. Belisle, and V. Deretic. 2004. Mycobacterium tuberculosis phagosome maturation arrest: mycobacterial phosphatidylinositol analog phosphatidylinositol mannoside stimulates early endosomal fusion. Mol. Biol. Cell 15:751–760.

References

{{reflist Bacteriology Phospholipids