scholarly journals Cyclopropanation of Membrane Unsaturated Fatty Acids Is Not Essential to the Acid Stress Response of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (10) ◽  
pp. 3327-3334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Mai Huong To ◽  
Cosette Grandvalet ◽  
Raphaëlle Tourdot-Maréchal

ABSTRACTCyclopropane fatty acids (CFAs) are synthetizedin situby the transfer of a methylene group fromS-adenosyl-l-methionine to a double bond of unsaturated fatty acid chains of membrane phospholipids. This conversion, catalyzed by the Cfa synthase enzyme, occurs in many bacteria and is recognized to play a key role in the adaptation of bacteria in response to a drastic perturbation of the environment. The role of CFAs in the acid tolerance response was investigated in the lactic acid bacteriumLactococcus lactisMG1363. A mutant of thecfagene was constructed by allelic exchange. Thecfagene encoding the Cfa synthase was cloned and introduced into the mutant to obtain the complemented strain for homologous system studies. Data obtained by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) validated that the mutant could not produce CFA. The CFA levels in both the wild-type and complemented strains increased upon their entry to stationary phase, especially with acid-adapted cells or, more surprisingly, with ethanol-adapted cells. The results obtained by performing quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments showed that transcription of thecfagene was highly induced by acidity (by 10-fold with cells grown at pH 5.0) and by ethanol (by 9-fold with cells grown with 6% ethanol) in comparison with that in stationary phase. Cell viability experiments were performed after an acidic shock on the mutant strain, the wild-type strain, and the complemented strain, as a control. The higher viability level of the acid-adapted cells of the three strains after 3 h of shock proved that the cyclopropanation of unsaturated fatty acids is not essential forL. lactissubsp.cremorissurvival under acidic conditions. Moreover, fluorescence anisotropy data showed that CFA itself could not maintain the membrane fluidity level, particularly with ethanol-grown cells.

2011 ◽  
Vol 193 (22) ◽  
pp. 6295-6304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ángel Pech-Canul ◽  
Joaquina Nogales ◽  
Alfonso Miranda-Molina ◽  
Laura Álvarez ◽  
Otto Geiger ◽  
...  

FadD is an acyl coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase responsible for the activation of exogenous long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) into acyl-CoAs. Mutation offadDin the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteriumSinorhizobium melilotipromotes swarming motility and leads to defects in nodulation of alfalfa plants. In this study, we found thatS. melilotifadDmutants accumulated a mixture of free fatty acids during the stationary phase of growth. The composition of the free fatty acid pool and the results obtained after specific labeling of esterified fatty acids with a Δ5-desaturase (Δ5-Des) were in agreement with membrane phospholipids being the origin of the released fatty acids.Escherichia colifadDmutants also accumulated free fatty acids released from membrane lipids in the stationary phase. This phenomenon did not occur in a mutant ofE. coliwith a deficient FadL fatty acid transporter, suggesting that the accumulation of fatty acids infadDmutants occurs inside the cell. Our results indicate that, besides the activation of exogenous LCFA, in bacteria FadD plays a major role in the activation of endogenous fatty acids released from membrane lipids. Furthermore, expression analysis performed withS. melilotirevealed that a functional FadD is required for the upregulation of genes involved in fatty acid degradation and suggested that in the wild-type strain, the fatty acids released from membrane lipids are degraded by β-oxidation in the stationary phase of growth.


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Wu ◽  
Ershu Xue ◽  
Ning Zhi ◽  
Qianqian Song ◽  
Kairen Tian ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Lactococcus lactis encounters various environmental challenges, especially acid stress, during its growth. The cell wall can maintain the integrity and shape of the cell under environmental stress, and d-amino acids play an important role in cell wall synthesis. Here, by analyzing the effects of 19 different d-amino acids on the physiology of L. lactis F44, we found that exogenously supplied d-methionine and d-phenylalanine increased the nisin yield by 93.22% and 101.29%, respectively, as well as significantly increasing the acid resistance of L. lactis F44. The composition of the cell wall in L. lactis F44 with exogenously supplied d-Met or d-Phe was further investigated via a vancomycin fluorescence experiment and a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay, which demonstrated that d-Met could be incorporated into the fifth position of peptidoglycan (PG) muropeptides and d-Phe could be added to the fourth and fifth positions. Moreover, overexpression of the PG synthesis gene murF further enhanced the levels of d-Met and d-Phe involved in PG and increased the survival rate under acid stress and the nisin yield of the strain. This study reveals that the exogenous supply of d-Met or d-Phe can change the composition of the cell wall and influence acid tolerance as well as nisin yield in L. lactis. IMPORTANCE As d-amino acids play an important role in cell wall synthesis, we analyzed the effects of 19 different d-amino acids on L. lactis F44, demonstrating that d-Met and d-Phe can participate in peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis and improve the acid resistance and nisin yield of this strain. murF overexpression further increased the levels of d-Met and d-Phe incorporated into PG and contributed to the acid resistance of the strain. These findings suggest that d-Met and d-Phe can be incorporated into PG to improve the acid resistance and nisin yield of L. lactis, and this study provides new ideas for the enhancement of nisin production.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (12) ◽  
pp. 4189-4199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Lúcia Carvalho ◽  
Filipa S. Cardoso ◽  
Andreas Bohn ◽  
Ana Rute Neves ◽  
Helena Santos

ABSTRACTTrehalose accumulation is a common cell defense strategy against a variety of stressful conditions. In particular, our team detected high levels of trehalose inPropionibacterium freudenreichiiin response to acid stress, a result that led to the idea that endowingLactococcus lactiswith the capacity to synthesize trehalose could improve the acid tolerance of this organism. To this end, we took advantage of the endogenous genes involved in the trehalose catabolic pathway ofL. lactis, i.e.,trePPandpgmB, encoding trehalose 6-phosphate phosphorylase and β-phosphoglucomutase, respectively, which enabled the synthesis of trehalose 6-phosphate. Given thatL. lactislacks trehalose 6-phosphate phosphatase, the respective gene,otsB, from the food-grade organismP. freudenreichiiwas used to provide the required activity. The trehalose yield was approximately 15% in resting cells and in mid-exponential-phase cells grown without pH control. The intracellular concentration of trehalose reached maximal values of approximately 170 mM, but at least 67% of the trehalose produced was found in the growth medium. The viability of mutant and control strains was examined after exposure to heat, cold or acid shock, and freeze-drying. The trehalose-producing strains showed improved tolerance (5- to 10-fold-higher survivability) to acid (pH 3) and cold shock (4°C); there was also a strong improvement in cell survival in response to heat shock (45°C), and no protection was rendered against dehydration. The insight provided by this work may help the design of food-grade strains optimized for the dairy industry as well as for oral drug delivery.


2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary DeMars ◽  
Vineet K. Singh ◽  
Jeffrey L. Bose

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus can utilize exogenous fatty acids for phospholipid synthesis. The fatty acid kinase FakA is essential for this utilization by phosphorylating exogenous fatty acids for incorporation into lipids. How FakA impacts the lipid membrane composition is unknown. In this study, we used mass spectrometry to determine the membrane lipid composition and properties of S. aureus in the absence of fakA. We found the fakA mutant to have increased abundance of lipids containing longer acyl chains. Since S. aureus does not synthesize unsaturated fatty acids, we utilized oleic acid (18:1) to track exogenous fatty acid incorporation into lipids. We observed a concentration-dependent incorporation of exogenous fatty acids into the membrane that required FakA. We also tested how FakA and exogenous fatty acids impact membrane-related physiology and identified changes in membrane potential, cellular respiration, and membrane fluidity. To mimic the host environment, we characterized the lipid composition of wild-type and fakA mutant bacteria grown in mouse skin homogenate. We show that wild-type S. aureus can incorporate exogenous unsaturated fatty acids from host tissue, highlighting the importance of FakA in the presence of host skin tissue. In conclusion, FakA is important for maintaining the composition and properties of the phospholipid membrane in the presence of exogenous fatty acids, impacting overall cell physiology. IMPORTANCE Environmental fatty acids can be harvested to supplement endogenous fatty acid synthesis to produce membranes and circumvent fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitors. However, how the inability to use these fatty acids impacts lipids is unclear. Our results reveal lipid composition changes in response to fatty acid addition and when S. aureus is unable to activate fatty acids through FakA. We identify concentration-dependent utilization of oleic acid that, when combined with previous work, provides evidence that fatty acids can serve as a signal to S. aureus. Furthermore, using mouse skin homogenates as a surrogate for in vivo conditions, we showed that S. aureus can incorporate host fatty acids. This study highlights how exogenous fatty acids impact bacterial membrane composition and function.


1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 1262-1277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce J. Holub ◽  
William E. M. Lands

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant KD46 (ole 2), which is unable to synthesize unsaturated fatty acids, was grown on limiting amounts of different added unsaturated fatty acids. The acyl chain composition of the cellular lipid classes was determined in these cultures at different stages of growth. During growth on added oleic acid, there was no marked change in the mole percentage of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, or phosphatidylserine among the total phospholipids.Cells grown on palmitoleic, oleic, or linoleic acid showed a steady decrease in their total phospholipid levels per cell concomitant with a decrease in growth rate approaching minimal levels at stationary phase. Furthermore, the mole percentage of the supplemented unsaturated fatty acid in the cellular phospholipids also decreased during growth and attained minimal values when growth ceased.At stationary phase the total phospholipid content per cell was similar for cells grown on a wide range of fatty acids or mixtures thereof, whereas the composition of the fatty acids in the cellular phospholipids were strikingly different. The differences in efficiencies for supporting growth of most of the unsaturated fatty acids tested did not seem due to the extent of their incorporation into cellular phospholipids, but rather to differences in the ability of the derived membrane phospholipids to support cellular functions.Palmitoleate, oleate, linoleate, linolenate, arachidonate, eicosapentaenoate, and docosahexaenoate all appeared to contribute to the functionality of cellular membranes in an additive linear manner. Thus, the contribution of these acids to cellular growth can be characterized by a functionality factor that seems independent of the mixtures of acids supporting growth. Use of the functionality concept allows the cumulative influence of many different acids to be summarized quantitatively by a single number rather than resorting to qualitative descriptions of the degree of unsaturation or 'fitness' of the membrane phospholipids.


2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (22) ◽  
pp. 8161-8163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Tanaka ◽  
Yukari Ishii ◽  
Jun Ogawa ◽  
Jun Shima

ABSTRACTHaa1 is a transcriptional activator required forSaccharomyces cerevisiaeadaptation to weak acids. Here we show that the constitutiveHAA1-overexpressing strain acquired a higher level of acetic acid tolerance. Under conditions of acetic acid stress, the intracellular level of acetic acid was significantly lower inHAA1-overexpressing cells than in the wild-type cells.


Author(s):  
Hari Balaji ◽  
Selvaraj Ayyamperuma ◽  
Niladri Saha ◽  
Shyam Sundar Pottabathula ◽  
Jubie Selvaraj ◽  
...  

: Vitamin-D deficiency is a global concern. Gene mutations in the vitamin D receptor’s (VDR) ligand binding domain (LBD) variously alter the ligand binding affinity, heterodimerization with retinoid X receptor (RXR) and inhibit coactivator interactions. These LBD mutations may result in partial or total hormone unresponsiveness. A plethora of evidence report that selective long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) bind to the ligand-binding domain of VDR and lead to transcriptional activation. We therefore hypothesize that selective PUFAs would modulate the dynamics and kinetics of VDRs, irrespective bioactive of vitamin-D binding. The spatial arrangements of the selected PUFAs in VDR active site were examined by in-silico docking studies. The docking results revealed that PUFAs have fatty acid structure-specific binding affinity towards VDR. The calculated EPA, DHA & AA binding energies (Cdocker energy) were lesser compared to vitamin-D in wild type of VDR (PDB id: 2ZLC). Of note, the DHA has higher binding interactions to the mutated VDR (PDB id: 3VT7) when compared to the standard Vitamin-D. Molecular dynamic simulation was utilized to confirm the stability of potential compound binding of DHA with mutated VDR complex. These findings suggest the unique roles of PUFAs in VDR activation and may offer alternate strategy to circumvent vitamin-D deficiency.


2012 ◽  
Vol 62 (Pt_9) ◽  
pp. 2133-2139 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Shivaji ◽  
P. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy ◽  
S. S. S. Nageshwara Rao ◽  
Zareena Begum ◽  
Poorna Manasa ◽  
...  

A novel Gram-stain-negative, horseshoe-shaped, non-motile bacterium, designated strain M12-11BT, was isolated from a marine sediment sample collected at a depth of 200 m from Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. The colony colour was orangish red due to the presence of carotenoids. Fatty acids were dominated by branched and unsaturated fatty acids (90.8 %), with a high abundance of iso-C15 : 0 (14.9 %), anteiso-C15 : 0 (11.4 %), iso-C15 : 1 G (13.1 %), C15 : 1ω6c (5.4 %), C17 : 1ω6c (6.7 %), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c; 9.3 %) and summed feature 9 (10-methyl C16 : 0 and/or iso-C17 : 1ω9c; 5.9 %). Strain M12-11BT contained MK-7 as the major respiratory quinone. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified aminolipid and three unidentified lipids. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, the type strains of Cyclobacterium amurskyense , Cyclobacterium marinum and Cyclobacterium lianum were most closely related to M12-11BT with sequence similarities of 98.2, 96.8 and 93.3 %, respectively. Other members of the family Cyclobacteriaceae had sequence similarities of <92.0 %. However, DNA–DNA hybridization with Cyclobacterium amurskyense KCTC 12363T and Cyclobacterium marinum DSM 745T showed relatedness values of only 24.5 and 32.5 % with respect to strain M12-11BT. Based on the results of DNA–DNA hybridization experiments and phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, it appears that strain M12-11BT represents a novel species of the genus Cyclobacterium , for which the name Cyclobacterium qasimii sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is M12-11BT ( = KCTC 23011T = NBRC 106168T) and it has a DNA G+C content of 40.5 mol%.


2000 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 3911-3916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang Ho Choi ◽  
David J. Baumler ◽  
Charles W. Kaspar

ABSTRACT An Escherichia coli O157:H7dps::nptI mutant (FRIK 47991) was generated, and its survival was compared to that of the parent in HCl (synthetic gastric fluid, pH 1.8) and hydrogen peroxide (15 mM) challenges. The survival of the mutant in log phase (5-h culture) was significantly impaired (4-log10-CFU/ml reduction) compared to that of the parent strain (ca. 1.0-log10-CFU/ml reduction) after a standard 3-h acid challenge. Early-stationary-phase cells (12-h culture) of the mutant decreased by ca. 4 log10CFU/ml while the parent strain decreased by approximately 2 log10 CFU/ml. No significant differences in the survival of late-stationary-phase cells (24-h culture) between the parent strain and the mutant were observed, although numbers of the parent strain declined less in the initial 1 h of acid challenge. FRIK 47991 was more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide challenge than was the parent strain, although survival improved in stationary phase. Complementation of the mutant with a functional dps gene restored acid and hydrogen peroxide tolerance to levels equal to or greater than those exhibited by the parent strain. These results demonstrate that decreases in survival were from the absence of Dps or a protein regulated by Dps. The results from this study establish that Dps contributes to acid tolerance in E. coli O157:H7 and confirm the importance of Dps in oxidative stress protection.


Author(s):  
T.V. Bogdan ◽  

Numerous studies have demonstrated the superiority of rosuvastatin over other statins in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. It has been proven that rosuvastatin is more effectively lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with cardiovascular disease than other members of this drug group. Despite the known mechanisms of action of statins on blood lipids, their effective use in patients with cardiovascular disease, as well as side effects, the influence of these drugs on the fatty acid spectrum of lymphocyte (LC) membrane phospholipids in patients with ischemic heart disease remains unexplored. The results of the studies cited in the article indicate that, in patients with unstable angina who received the therapy that included rosuvastatin, unlike patients receiving the basic treatment with atorvastatin, the relative phosphate lipid contents of palmitic, stearic, and stearin arachidonic polyunsaturated fatty acids and the amount of unsaturated fatty acids are normalized, which testifies to the stabilization of membranes as dynamic structures.


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