1
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Hopmans EC, Grossi V, Sahonero-Canavesi DX, Bale NJ, Cravo-Laureau C, Sinninghe Damsté JS. Mono- to tetra-alkyl ether cardiolipins in a mesophilic, sulfate-reducing bacterium identified by UHPLC-HRMS n: a novel class of membrane lipids. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1404328. [PMID: 38841066 PMCID: PMC11150832 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1404328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The composition of membrane lipids varies in a number of ways as adjustment to growth conditions. Variations in head group composition and carbon skeleton and degree of unsaturation of glycerol-bound acyl or alkyl chains results in a high structural complexity of the lipidome of bacterial cells. We studied the lipidome of the mesophilic, sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfatibacillum alkenivorans strain PF2803T by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMSn). This anaerobic bacterium has been previously shown to produce high amounts of mono-and di-alkyl glycerol ethers as core membrane lipids. Our analyses revealed that these core lipids occur with phosphatidylethanomamine (PE) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) head groups, representing each approximately one third of the phospholipids. The third class was a novel group of phospholipids, i.e., cardiolipins (CDLs) containing one (monoether/triester) to four (tetraether) ether-linked saturated straight-chain or methyl-branched alkyl chains. Tetraether CDLs have been shown to occur in archaea (with isoprenoid alkyl chains) but have not been previously reported in the bacterial Domain. Structurally related CDLs with one or two alkyl/acyl chains missing, so-called monolyso-and dilyso-CDLs, were also observed. The potential biosynthetic pathway of these novel CDLs was investigated by examining the genome of D. alkenivorans. Three CDL synthases were identified; one catalyzes the condensation of two PGs, the other two are probably involved in the condensation of a PE with a PG. A heterologous gene expression experiment showed the in vivo production of dialkylglycerols upon anaerobic expression of the glycerol ester reductase enzyme of D. alkenivorans in E. coli. Reduction of the ester bonds probably occurs first at the sn-1 and subsequently at the sn-2 position after the formation of PEs and PGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen C. Hopmans
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, Netherlands
| | - Vincent Grossi
- Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon: Terre, Planètes, Environnement (LGL-TPE, UMR CNRS 5276), Univ Lyon, UCBL, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Diana X. Sahonero-Canavesi
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, Netherlands
| | - Nicole J. Bale
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, Netherlands
| | | | - Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, Netherlands
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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2
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Rao A, Driessen AJM. Unraveling the multiplicity of geranylgeranyl reductases in Archaea: potential roles in saturation of terpenoids. Extremophiles 2024; 28:14. [PMID: 38280122 PMCID: PMC10821996 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-023-01330-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
The enzymology of the key steps in the archaeal phospholipid biosynthetic pathway has been elucidated in recent years. In contrast, the complete biosynthetic pathways for proposed membrane regulators consisting of polyterpenes, such as carotenoids, respiratory quinones, and polyprenols remain unknown. Notably, the multiplicity of geranylgeranyl reductases (GGRs) in archaeal genomes has been correlated with the saturation of polyterpenes. Although GGRs, which are responsible for saturation of the isoprene chains of phospholipids, have been identified and studied in detail, there is little information regarding the structure and function of the paralogs. Here, we discuss the diversity of archaeal membrane-associated polyterpenes which is correlated with the genomic loci, structural and sequence-based analyses of GGR paralogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alka Rao
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Arnold J M Driessen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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3
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Melcrová A, Maity S, Melcr J, de Kok NAW, Gabler M, van der Eyden J, Stensen W, Svendsen JSM, Driessen AJM, Marrink SJ, Roos WH. Lateral membrane organization as target of an antimicrobial peptidomimetic compound. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4038. [PMID: 37419980 PMCID: PMC10328936 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39726-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the leading concerns in medical care. Here we study the mechanism of action of an antimicrobial cationic tripeptide, AMC-109, by combining high speed-atomic force microscopy, molecular dynamics, fluorescence assays, and lipidomic analysis. We show that AMC-109 activity on negatively charged membranes derived from Staphylococcus aureus consists of two crucial steps. First, AMC-109 self-assembles into stable aggregates consisting of a hydrophobic core and a cationic surface, with specificity for negatively charged membranes. Second, upon incorporation into the membrane, individual peptides insert into the outer monolayer, affecting lateral membrane organization and dissolving membrane nanodomains, without forming pores. We propose that membrane domain dissolution triggered by AMC-109 may affect crucial functions such as protein sorting and cell wall synthesis. Our results indicate that the AMC-109 mode of action resembles that of the disinfectant benzalkonium chloride (BAK), but with enhanced selectivity for bacterial membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adéla Melcrová
- Molecular Biophysics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Sourav Maity
- Molecular Biophysics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Josef Melcr
- Molecular Dynamics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences & Biotechnology Institute, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Niels A W de Kok
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences & Biotechnology Institute, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Mariella Gabler
- Molecular Biophysics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jonne van der Eyden
- Molecular Biophysics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Wenche Stensen
- Department of Chemistry, UiT Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - John S M Svendsen
- Department of Chemistry, UiT Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Arnold J M Driessen
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences & Biotechnology Institute, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Siewert J Marrink
- Molecular Biophysics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Molecular Dynamics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences & Biotechnology Institute, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Wouter H Roos
- Molecular Biophysics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
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4
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de Kok NAW, Driessen AJM. The catalytic and structural basis of archaeal glycerophospholipid biosynthesis. Extremophiles 2022; 26:29. [PMID: 35976526 PMCID: PMC9385802 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-022-01277-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Archaeal glycerophospholipids are the main constituents of the cytoplasmic membrane in the archaeal domain of life and fundamentally differ in chemical composition compared to bacterial phospholipids. They consist of isoprenyl chains ether-bonded to glycerol-1-phosphate. In contrast, bacterial glycerophospholipids are composed of fatty acyl chains ester-bonded to glycerol-3-phosphate. This largely domain-distinguishing feature has been termed the “lipid-divide”. The chemical composition of archaeal membranes contributes to the ability of archaea to survive and thrive in extreme environments. However, ether-bonded glycerophospholipids are not only limited to extremophiles and found also in mesophilic archaea. Resolving the structural basis of glycerophospholipid biosynthesis is a key objective to provide insights in the early evolution of membrane formation and to deepen our understanding of the molecular basis of extremophilicity. Many of the glycerophospholipid enzymes are either integral membrane proteins or membrane-associated, and hence are intrinsically difficult to study structurally. However, in recent years, the crystal structures of several key enzymes have been solved, while unresolved enzymatic steps in the archaeal glycerophospholipid biosynthetic pathway have been clarified providing further insights in the lipid-divide and the evolution of early life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels A W de Kok
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Arnold J M Driessen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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5
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Lloyd CT, Iwig DF, Wang B, Cossu M, Metcalf WW, Boal AK, Booker SJ. Discovery, structure, and mechanism of a tetraether lipid synthase. Nature 2022; 609:197-203. [PMID: 35882349 PMCID: PMC9433317 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05120-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Archaea synthesize isoprenoid-based ether-linked membrane lipids, which enable them to withstand extreme environmental conditions, such as high temperatures, high salinity, and low or high pH values1–5. In some archaea, such as Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, these lipids are further modified by forming carbon–carbon bonds between the termini of two lipid tails within one glycerophospholipid to generate the macrocyclic archaeol or forming two carbon–carbon bonds between the termini of two lipid tails from two glycerophospholipids to generate the macrocycle glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT)1,2. GDGT contains two 40-carbon lipid chains (biphytanyl chains) that span both leaflets of the membrane, providing enhanced stability to extreme conditions. How these specialized lipids are formed has puzzled scientists for decades. The reaction necessitates the coupling of two completely inert sp3-hybridized carbon centres, which, to our knowledge, has not been observed in nature. Here we show that the gene product of mj0619 from M. jannaschii, which encodes a radical S-adenosylmethionine enzyme, is responsible for biphytanyl chain formation during synthesis of both the macrocyclic archaeol and GDGT membrane lipids6. Structures of the enzyme show the presence of four metallocofactors: three [Fe4S4] clusters and one mononuclear rubredoxin-like iron ion. In vitro mechanistic studies show that Csp3–Csp3 bond formation takes place on fully saturated archaeal lipid substrates and involves an intermediate bond between the substrate carbon and a sulfur of one of the [Fe4S4] clusters. Our results not only establish the biosynthetic route for tetraether formation but also improve the use of GDGT in GDGT-based paleoclimatology indices7–10. In Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, a radical S-adenosylmethionine enzyme catalyses the formation of the biphytanyl chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody T Lloyd
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - David F Iwig
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University. Park, PA, USA
| | - Bo Wang
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University. Park, PA, USA
| | - Matteo Cossu
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - William W Metcalf
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Amie K Boal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. .,The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University. Park, PA, USA.
| | - Squire J Booker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. .,The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University. Park, PA, USA. .,Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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6
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Law KP, He W, Tao J, Zhang C. A Novel Approach to Characterize the Lipidome of Marine Archaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus by Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:735878. [PMID: 34925256 PMCID: PMC8674956 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.735878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Archaea are differentiated from the other two domains of life by their biomolecular characteristics. One such characteristic is the unique structure and composition of their lipids. Characterization of the whole set of lipids in a biological system (the lipidome) remains technologically challenging. This is because the lipidome is innately complex, and not all lipid species are extractable, separable, or ionizable by a single analytical method. Furthermore, lipids are structurally and chemically diverse. Many lipids are isobaric or isomeric and often indistinguishable by the measurement of mass or even their fragmentation spectra. Here we developed a novel analytical protocol based on liquid chromatography ion mobility mass spectrometry to enhance the coverage of the lipidome and characterize the conformations of archaeal lipids by their collision cross-sections (CCSs). The measurements of ion mobility revealed the gas-phase ion chemistry of representative archaeal lipids and provided further insights into their attributions to the adaptability of archaea to environmental stresses. A comprehensive characterization of the lipidome of mesophilic marine thaumarchaeon, Nitrosopumilus maritimus (strain SCM1) revealed potentially an unreported phosphate- and sulfate-containing lipid candidate by negative ionization analysis. It was the first time that experimentally derived CCS values of archaeal lipids were reported. Discrimination of crenarchaeol and its proposed stereoisomer was, however, not achieved with the resolving power of the SYNAPT G2 ion mobility system, and a high-resolution ion mobility system may be required for future work. Structural and spectral libraries of archaeal lipids were constructed in non-vendor-specific formats and are being made available to the community to promote research of Archaea by lipidomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai P Law
- Southern University of Science and Technology, SUSTech Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wei He
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jianchang Tao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chuanlun Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
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7
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Crystal structures of phosphatidyl serine synthase PSS reveal the catalytic mechanism of CDP-DAG alcohol O-phosphatidyl transferases. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6982. [PMID: 34848707 PMCID: PMC8633023 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27281-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Phospholipids are the major components of the membrane in all type of cells and organelles. They also are critical for cell metabolism, signal transduction, the immune system and other critical cell functions. The biosynthesis of phospholipids is a complex multi-step process with high-energy intermediates. Several enzymes in different metabolic pathways are involved in the initial phospholipid synthesis and its subsequent conversion. While the "Kennedy pathway" is the main pathway in mammalian cells, in bacteria and lower eukaryotes the precursor CDP-DAG is used in the de novo pathway by CDP-DAG alcohol O-phosphatidyl transferases to synthetize the basic lipids. Here we present the high-resolution structures of phosphatidyl serine synthase from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii crystallized in four different states. Detailed structural and functional analysis of the different structures allowed us to identify the substrate binding site and show how CDP-DAG, serine and two essential metal ions are bound and oriented relative to each other. In close proximity to the substrate binding site, two anions were identified that appear to be highly important for the reaction. The structural findings were confirmed by functional activity assays and suggest a model for the catalytic mechanism of CDP-DAG alcohol O-phosphatidyl transferases, which synthetize the phospholipids essential for the cells.
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Abstract
Archaeal membrane lipids are structurally different from bacterial and eukaryotic membrane lipids, but little is known about the enzymes involved in their synthesis. In a recent study, Exterkate et al. identified and characterized a cardiolipin synthase from the archaeon Methanospirillum hungatei. This enzyme can synthesize archaeal, bacterial, and mixed archaeal/bacterial cardiolipin species from a wide variety of substrates, some of which are not even naturally occurring. This discovery could revolutionize synthetic lipid biology, being used to construct a variety of lipids with nonnatural head groups and mixed archaeal/bacterial hydrophobic chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Sohlenkamp
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
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