The α1β1 region is crucial for biofilm enhancement activity of MTC28 in Mycobacterium smegmatis.

We show here that MTC28, a secretory antigen of 28 kDa from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is involved in biofilm formation. The exogenous addition of MTC28 to the culture medium as well its expression in Mycobacterium smegmatis mc 155 shows an enhancement in biofilm formation, which leads to drug resistance. Structural analysis of MTC28 followed by mutational studies confirms the role of its α1β1 region in the biofilm enhancement activity. Confocal and flow cytometry studies show that the α1β1 region of MTC28 is crucial for binding to the M. smegmatis cell wall. The enhancement in biofilm formation due to MTC28 is also observed in M. tuberculosis H37Ra. This is the first report on the structure-function relationship of MTC28.