Mycothiol-deficient Mycobacterium smegmatis mutants are hypersensitive to alkylating agents, free radicals, and antibiotics.

Mycothiol (MSH; 1D-myo-inosityl 2-[N-acetyl-L-cysteinyl]amido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranoside) is the major low-molecular-weight thiol produced by mycobacteria. Mutants of Mycobacterium smegmatis mc(2)155 deficient in MSH production were produced by chemical mutagenesis as well as by transposon mutagenesis. One chemical mutant (mutant I64) and two transposon mutants (mutants Tn1 and Tn2) stably deficient in MSH production were isolated by screening for reduced levels of MSH content. The MSH contents of transposon mutants Tn1 and Tn2 were found to be less than 0.1% that of the parent strain, and the MSH content of I64 was found to be 1 to 5% that of the parent strain. All three strains accumulated 1D-myo-inosityl 2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranoside to levels 20- to 25-fold the level found in the parent strain. The cysteine:1D-myo-inosityl 2-amino-2-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranoside ligase (MshC) activities of the three mutant strains were < or =2% that of the parent strain. Phenotypic analysis revealed that these MSH-deficient mutants possess increased susceptibilities to free radicals and alkylating agents and to a wide range of antibiotics including erythromycin, azithromycin, vancomycin, penicillin G, rifamycin, and rifampin. Conversely, the mutants possess at least 200-fold higher levels of resistance to isoniazid than the wild type. We mapped the mutation in the chemical mutant by sequencing the mshC gene and showed that a single amino acid substitution (L205P) is responsible for reduced MSH production and its associated phenotype. Our results demonstrate that there is a direct correlation between MSH depletion and enhanced sensitivity to toxins and antibiotics.