Proteome analysis in M. abscessus to study intrabacterial lipid inclusion

During infection and granuloma formation, pathogenic mycobacteria accumulate triacylglycerol in the form of Intrabacterial Lipid Inclusions (ILI). These organelles facilitate bacterial evasion from the immune system and serve as a carbon source to sustain bacterial persistence within the infected host., a rapidly-growing non-tuberculous opportunistic pathogen, was previously shown to generate similar structures throughout their infectious cycle. In this proteomics study, M. abscessus was used as a model organism to identify, at a global level, the ILI-associated proteins (IAP) involved in ILI accumulation.