Lipid transport across the mycobacterial cell envelope

The mammalian-cell-entry (Mce) proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis enable the bacterium to acquire lipids from the host cells. Asthana et al. [ IUCrJ (2021). 8 , 757-774] present the first structural insights into the potential assembly of Mce1 and Mce4, advancing our understanding of lipid transport by the human pathogen that causes tuberculosis.