Structure
Lipoarabinomannan is synthesized via addition of mannose residues to phosphoinositol by a series of mannosyltransferases to produce PIMs and lipomannan(LM). PIM and LM are then glycosylated with arabinan to form LAM. LAM is known to have three primary structural domains. These include a glycosylphosphatidyl anchor which attaches the molecule to the cell wall, a D-mannan core serving as a carbohydrate skeleton, and a terminal D-arabinan, also composing the carbohydrate skeleton. Many arabinofuranosyl side chains branch off the mannose core. It is the covalent modifications to this terminal D-arabinan that creates various LAM structures with their own unique functions to mediate bacterial survival within a host. The presence and the structure of capping allow classification of LAM molecules into three major classes.
Read more about this topic: Lipoarabinomannan
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