The Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein Rv2387 is involved in cell wall remodeling and susceptibility to acidic conditions

The distinctive cell walls of mycobacteria are characteristic features of these bacteria. Individual cell wall components influence diverse mycobacterial phenotypes, such as colony morphology, virulence and stress resistance. To investigate the role of the hypothetical protein Rv2387, we constructed a Mycobacterium smegmatis strain that heterologously expressed this ORF, and we observed that the M. smegmatis strain expressing Rv2387 exhibited altered colony morphology and cell wall lipid composition, leading to a marked decrease in the resistance against acidic conditions. This study demonstrates that due to its impact on cell wall remodeling, Rv2387 might play an important role in mycobacterial physiology. •MS_Rv2387 constitutively expresses the Mtb Rv2387 protein.•Overexpression of Rv2387 alters mycobacterial colony morphology and cell wall lipid composition.•MS_Rv2387 cells are highly sensitive to acidic conditions.