scholarly journals The Transcriptional Repressor FarR Is Not Involved in Meningococcal Fatty Acid Resistance Mediated by the FarAB Efflux Pump and Dependent on Lipopolysaccharide Structure

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (10) ◽  
pp. 3160-3169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Schielke ◽  
Corinna Schmitt ◽  
Carolin Spatz ◽  
Matthias Frosch ◽  
Alexandra Schubert-Unkmeir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Efflux Pump ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Acid Resistance ◽  
Transcriptional Regulator ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Membrane Anchor ◽  
Pump System

ABSTRACT Free fatty acids are important antimicrobial substances regulating the homeostasis of colonizing bacteria on epithelial surfaces. Here, we show that meningococci express a functional farAB efflux pump, which is indispensable for fatty acid resistance. However, other than in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the transcriptional regulator FarR is not involved in regulation of this operon in Neisseria meningitidis. We tested the susceptibility of 23 meningococcal isolates against saturated and unsaturated long-chain fatty acids, proving that meningococci are generally highly resistant, with the exception of serogroup Y strains belonging to sequence type 23. Using genetically determined lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-truncated mutant strains, we show that addition of the LPS core oligosaccharide and hexa-acylation of its membrane anchor lipid A are imperative for fatty acid resistance of meningococci. The sensitivity of the serogroup Y strains is due to naturally occurring mutations within the lpxL1 gene, which is responsible for addition of the sixth acyl chain on the LPS membrane anchor lipid A. Therefore, fatty acid resistance in meningococci is provided by both the active efflux pump FarAB and by the natural permeability barrier of the Gram-negative outer membrane. The transcriptional regulator FarR is not implicated in fatty acid resistance in meningococci, possibly giving rise to a constitutively active FarAB efflux pump system and thus revealing diverse mechanisms of niche adaptation in the two closely related Neisseria species.

scholarly journals Fatty acid transport protein 4 is required for incorporation of saturated ultralong-chain fatty acids into epidermal ceramides and monoacylglycerols

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meei-Hua Lin ◽  
Fong-Fu Hsu ◽  
Debra Crumrine ◽  
Jason Meyer ◽  
Peter M. Elias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Barrier Function ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Mouse Skin ◽  
Transport Protein ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Fatty Acid Transport ◽  
Acid Transport ◽  
Fatty Acid Transport Protein

Abstract Fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4) is an acyl-CoA synthetase that is required for normal permeability barrier in mammalian skin. FATP4 (SLC27A4) mutations cause ichthyosis prematurity syndrome, a nonlethal disorder. In contrast, Fatp4−/− mice die neonatally from a defective barrier. Here we used electron microscopy and lipidomics to characterize defects in Fatp4−/− mice. Mutants showed lamellar body, corneocyte lipid envelope, and cornified envelope abnormalities. Lipidomics identified two lipids previously speculated to be present in mouse epidermis, sphingosine β-hydroxyceramide and monoacylglycerol; mutants displayed decreased proportions of these and the two ceramide classes that carry ultralong-chain, amide-linked fatty acids (FAs) thought to be critical for barrier function, unbound ω-O-acylceramide and bound ω-hydroxyceramide, the latter constituting the major component of the corneocyte lipid envelope. Other abnormalities included elevated amounts of sphingosine α-hydroxyceramide, phytosphingosine non-hydroxyceramide, and 1-O-acylceramide. Acyl chain length alterations in ceramides also suggested roles for FATP4 in esterifying saturated non-hydroxy and β-hydroxy FAs with at least 25 carbons and saturated or unsaturated ω-hydroxy FAs with at least 30 carbons to CoA. Our lipidomic analysis is the most thorough such study of the Fatp4−/− mouse skin barrier to date, providing information about how FATP4 can contribute to barrier function by regulating fatty acyl moieties in various barrier lipids.

scholarly journals Acyl Chain Specificity of the Acyltransferases LpxA and LpxD and Substrate Availability Contribute to Lipid A Fatty Acid Heterogeneity in Porphyromonas gingivalis

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (13) ◽  
pp. 4549-4558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian W. Bainbridge ◽  
Lisa Karimi-Naser ◽  
Robert Reife ◽  
Fleur Blethen ◽  
Robert K. Ernst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Porphyromonas Gingivalis ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Hydroxy Fatty Acids ◽  
Homologous Gene ◽  
Substrate Availability ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Acyl Chain Length

ABSTRACT Porphyromonas gingivalis lipid A is heterogeneous with regard to the number, type, and placement of fatty acids. Analysis of lipid A by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry reveals clusters of peaks differing by 14 mass units indicative of an altered distribution of the fatty acids generating different lipid A structures. To examine whether the transfer of hydroxy fatty acids with different chain lengths could account for the clustering of lipid A structures, P. gingivalis lpxA (lpxAPg ) and lpxDPg were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli strains in which the homologous gene was mutated. Lipid A from strains expressing either of the P. gingivalis transferases was found to contain 16-carbon hydroxy fatty acids in addition to the normal E. coli 14-carbon hydroxy fatty acids, demonstrating that these acyltransferases display a relaxed acyl chain length specificity. Both LpxA and LpxD, from either E. coli or P. gingivalis, were also able to incorporate odd-chain fatty acids into lipid A when grown in the presence of 1% propionic acid. This indicates that E. coli lipid A acyltransferases do not have an absolute specificity for 14-carbon hydroxy fatty acids but can transfer fatty acids differing by one carbon unit if the fatty acid substrates are available. We conclude that the relaxed specificity of the P. gingivalis lipid A acyltransferases and the substrate availability account for the lipid A structural clusters that differ by 14 mass units observed in P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide preparations.

TetR-family transcriptional repressor Thermus thermophilus FadR controls fatty acid degradation

Microbiology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 157 (6) ◽  
pp. 1589-1601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihiro Agari ◽  
Kazuko Agari ◽  
Keiko Sakamoto ◽  
Seiki Kuramitsu ◽  
Akeo Shinkai
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Thermus Thermophilus ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Straight Chain ◽  
Fatty Acid Degradation ◽  
Acid Degradation

In the extremely thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB8, one of the four TetR-family transcriptional regulators, which we named T. thermophilus FadR, negatively regulated the expression of several genes, including those involved in fatty acid degradation, both in vivo and in vitro. T. thermophilus FadR repressed the expression of the target genes by binding pseudopalindromic sequences covering the predicted −10 hexamers of their promoters, and medium-to-long straight-chain (C10–18) fatty acyl-CoA molecules were effective for transcriptional derepression. An X-ray crystal structure analysis revealed that T. thermophilus FadR bound one lauroyl (C12)-CoA molecule per FadR monomer, with its acyl chain moiety in the centre of the FadR molecule, enclosed within a tunnel-like substrate-binding pocket surrounded by hydrophobic residues, and the CoA moiety interacting with basic residues on the protein surface. The growth of T. thermophilus HB8, with palmitic acid as the sole carbon source, increased the expression of FadR-regulated genes. These results indicate that in T. thermophilus HB8, medium-to-long straight-chain fatty acids can be used for metabolic energy under the control of FadR, although the major fatty acids found in this strain are iso- and anteiso-branched-chain (C15 and 17) fatty acids.

scholarly journals The synthesis of medium-chain fatty acids by lactating-rabbit mammary gland studied in vitro (Short Communication)

1973 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Strong ◽  
Eric M. Carey ◽  
Raymond Dils
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Mammary Gland ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Short Communication ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Fatty Acid Synthetase ◽  
Supernatant Fraction ◽  
Weight Factor

The proportion of C8:0 and C10:0 fatty acids synthesized by the microsomal plus particle-free supernatant fraction from lactating rabbit mammary gland is enhanced at high protein concentrations. This fraction appears to contain a soluble high-molecular-weight factor that modifies the specificity of the fatty acid synthetase complex for termination of the growing acyl chain.

scholarly journals The elongation of exogenous fatty acids and the control of phospholipid acyl chain length in Micrococcus cryophilus

1980 ◽  
Vol 188 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
S P Sandercock ◽  
N J Russell
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Chain Length ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Psychrophilic Bacterium ◽  
Fatty Acid Elongation ◽  
Acyl Chain Length ◽  
Acyl Chains ◽  
Phospholipid Acyl Chain

The synthesis of fatty acids de novo from acetate and the elongation of exogenous satuated fatty acids (C12-C18) by the psychrophilic bacterium Micrococcus cryophilus (A.T.C.C. 15174) grown at 1 or 20 degrees C was investigated. M. cryophilus normally contains only C16 and C18 acyl chains in its phospholipids, and the C18/C16 ratio is altered by changes in growth temperature. The bacterium was shown to regulate strictly its phospholipid acyl chain length and to be capable of directly elongating myristate and palmitate, and possibly laurate, to a mixture of C16 and C18 acyl chains. Retroconversion of stearate into palmitate also occurred. Fatty acid elongation could be distinguished from fatty acid synthesis de novo by the greater sensitivity of fatty acid elongation to inhibition by NaAsO2 under conditions when the supply of ATP and reduced nicotinamide nucleotides was not limiting. It is suggested that phospholipid acyl chain length may be controlled by a membrane-bound elongase enzyme, which interconverts C16 and C18 fatty acids via a C14 intermediate; the activity of the enzyme could be regulated by membrane lipid fluidity.

scholarly journals Fatty acid elongation by a particulate fraction from germinating pea

1980 ◽  
Vol 191 (3) ◽  
pp. 791-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
B R Jordan ◽  
J L Harwood
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Fatty Acid Synthesis ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Saturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Fatty Acid Synthetase ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Particulate Fraction

The synthesis of fatty acids from [14C]malonyl-CoA was studied with a high-speed particulate fraction from germinating pea (Pisum sativum). The variety used (Feltham First) produced mainly saturated fatty acids with palmitate (30–40%) and stearate (40–60%) predominating. Several palmitate-containing lipids stimulated overall synthesis and, in addition, increased the percentage of label in stearate. The production of stearate was severely inhibited by preincubation of the microsomal fraction with snake venom phospholipase A2 or by incubation with Rhizopus arrhizus lipase. Addition of a series of di-saturated phosphatidylcholines, with different acyl constituents, resulted in stimulation of overall fatty acid synthesis as well as an increase in the radiolabelling of the fatty acid two carbon atoms longer than the acyl chain added. This chain lengthening of fatty acids donated from phosphatidylcholine was due to the action of both fatty acid synthetase and palmitate elongase. The latter would utilize dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine and was sensitive to arsenite whereas fatty acid synthetase would use dilauroyl phosphatidylcholine and was sensitive to cerulenin. The results are discussed in relation to previous data obtained in vivo on plant fatty acid synthesis and current suggestions for the role of phosphatidylcholine in this process.

Cell wall lipopolysaccharides from Neisseria catarrhalis

1969 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Adams ◽  
T. G. Tornabene ◽  
M. Yaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Soluble Fraction ◽  
Insoluble Fraction ◽  
Major Fatty Acid ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Acetyl Phosphate ◽  
Fatty Acid Component ◽  
Acid Component

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) prepared from N. catarrhalis cells were separated into a chloroform-soluble fraction (26%) and a chloroform-insoluble fraction (74%). Both LPS fractions contained D-glucose, D-galactose, D-glucosamine, galactosamine, lipid A, ethanolamine, fatty acids, acetyl, phosphate, and protein in approximately equal proportions. The lipid A moieties prepared from the two LPS fractions were also similar in composition to each other. The fatty acids and galactosamine of the LPS fractions were recovered quantitatively in their lipid A fractions. The major fatty acid component was β-hydroxylauric acid in contrast with β-hydroxymyristic acid, which is the major fatty acid component of the lipid A of N. perflava and other Gram-negative bacteria. The lipid A of N. catarrhalis also contained a considerable amount of D-glucose and D-galactose, which are not normal constituents of lipid A fractions. The presence of amino acids (ca. 2%) in all fractions suggested that proteins were an integral part of the LPS molecules. The absence of heptose and 3-deoxyoctulosonic acid (KDO) from the N. catarrhalis LPS shows that it lacks a lipopolysaccharide "core" structure similar to that present in the LPS of N. perflava; the polysaccharide part of the LPS molecule is also compositionally different from that of N. perflava. These differences may provide additional evidence to that already accumulated from other sources that N. catarrhalis is taxonomically a "false neisseria".

scholarly journals Anaerobic Transformation of Alkanes to Fatty Acids by a Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium, Strain Hxd3

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 3892-3900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Ming So ◽  
Craig D. Phelps ◽  
L. Y. Young
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Degradation Mechanism ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Chain Elongation ◽  
Initial Attack ◽  
Alkane Degradation ◽  
Sulfate Reducing ◽  
Bacterium Strain ◽  
Alkane Chain

ABSTRACT Strain Hxd3, an alkane-degrading sulfate reducer previously isolated and described by Aeckersberg et al. (F. Aeckersberg, F. Bak, and F. Widdel, Arch. Microbiol. 156:5-14, 1991), was studied for its alkane degradation mechanism by using deuterium and 13C-labeled compounds. Deuterated fatty acids with even numbers of C atoms (C-even) and 13C-labeled fatty acids with odd numbers of C atoms (C-odd) were recovered from cultures of Hxd3 grown on perdeuterated pentadecane and [1,2-13C2]hexadecane, respectively, underscoring evidence that C-odd alkanes are transformed to C-even fatty acids and vice versa. When Hxd3 was grown on unlabeled hexadecane in the presence of [13C]bicarbonate, the resulting 15:0 fatty acid, which was one carbon shorter than the alkane, incorporated a 13C label to form its carboxyl group. The same results were observed when tetradecane, pentadecane, and perdeuterated pentadecane were used as the substrates. These observations indicate that the initial attack of alkanes includes both carboxylation with inorganic bicarbonate and the removal of two carbon atoms from the alkane chain terminus, resulting in a fatty acid one carbon shorter than the original alkane. The removal of two terminal carbon atoms is further evidenced by the observation that the [1,2-13C2]hexadecane-derived fatty acids contained either two 13C labels located exclusively at their acyl chain termini or none at all. Furthermore, when perdeuterated pentadecane was used as the substrate, the 14:0 and 16:0 fatty acids formed both carried the same numbers of deuterium labels, while the latter was not deuterated at its carboxyl end. These observations provide further evidence that the 14:0 fatty acid was initially formed from perdeuterated pentadecane, while the 16:0 fatty acid was produced after chain elongation of the former fatty acid with nondeuterated carbon atoms. We propose that strain Hxd3 anaerobically transforms an alkane to a fatty acid through a mechanism which includes subterminal carboxylation at the C-3 position of the alkane and elimination of the two adjacent terminal carbon atoms.

scholarly journals Branched chain fatty acid synthesis drives tissue-specific innate immune response and  infection dynamics of  Staphylococcus aureus

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. e1009930
Author(s):  
Xi Chen ◽  
Wei Ping Teoh ◽  
Madison R. Stock ◽  
Zachary J. Resko ◽  
Francis Alonzo
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Membrane Fluidity ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Infection Dynamics ◽  
Branched Chain

Fatty acid-derived acyl chains of phospholipids and lipoproteins are central to bacterial membrane fluidity and lipoprotein function. Though it can incorporate exogenous unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), Staphylococcus aureus synthesizes branched chain fatty acids (BCFA), not UFA, to modulate or increase membrane fluidity. However, both endogenous BCFA and exogenous UFA can be attached to bacterial lipoproteins. Furthermore, S. aureus membrane lipid content varies based upon the amount of exogenous lipid in the environment. Thus far, the relevance of acyl chain diversity within the S. aureus cell envelope is limited to the observation that attachment of UFA to lipoproteins enhances cytokine secretion by cell lines in a TLR2-dependent manner. Here, we leveraged a BCFA auxotroph of S. aureus and determined that driving UFA incorporation disrupted infection dynamics and increased cytokine production in the liver during systemic infection of mice. In contrast, infection of TLR2-deficient mice restored inflammatory cytokines and bacterial burden to wildtype levels, linking the shift in acyl chain composition toward UFA to detrimental immune activation in vivo. In in vitro studies, bacterial lipoproteins isolated from UFA-supplemented cultures were resistant to lipase-mediated ester hydrolysis and exhibited heightened TLR2-dependent innate cell activation, whereas lipoproteins with BCFA esters were completely inactivated after lipase treatment. These results suggest that de novo synthesis of BCFA reduces lipoprotein-mediated TLR2 activation and improves lipase-mediated hydrolysis making it an important determinant of innate immunity. Overall, this study highlights the potential relevance of cell envelope acyl chain repertoire in infection dynamics of bacterial pathogens.

scholarly journals Identification, Evolution, Expression, and Docking Studies of Fatty Acid Desaturase Genes in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Hajiahmadi ◽  
Amin Abedi ◽  
Hui Wei ◽  
Weibo Sun ◽  
Honghua Ruan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Plant Development ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Edible Oils ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Environmental Stresses ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
A Genome

Abstract Backgrounds: Fatty acid desaturases (FADs) introduce a double bond into the fatty acids acyl chain resulting in unsaturated fatty acids that have essential roles in plant development and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Wheat germ oil, one of the important by-products of wheat, can be a good alternative for edible oils with clinical advantages due to the high amount of unsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the wheat FAD gene family (TaFADs).Results: 68 FAD genes were identified from the wheat genome. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, wheat FADs clustered into five subfamilies, including FAB2, FAD2/FAD6, FAD4, DES/SLD, and FAD3/FAD7/FAD8. The TaFADs were distributed on chromosomes 2A-7B with 0 to 10 introns. The Ka/Ks ratio was less than one for most of the duplicated pair genes revealed that the function of the genes had been maintained during the evolution. Several cis-acting elements related to hormones and stresses in the TaFADs promoters indicated the role of these genes in plant development and responses to environmental stresses. Likewise, 72 SSRs and 91 miRNAs in 36 and 47 TaFADs have been identified. According to RNA-seq data analysis, the highest expression in all developmental stages and tissues was related to TaFAB2.5, TaFAB2.12, TaFAB2.15, TaFAB2.17, TaFAB2.20, TaFAD2.1, TaFAD2.6, and TaFAD2.8 genes while the highest expression in response to temperature stress was related to TaFAD2.6, TaFAD2.8, TaFAB2.15, TaFAB2.17, and TaFAB2.20. Furthermore, docking simulations revealed several residues in the active site of TaFAD2.6 and TaFAD2.8 in close contact with the docked oleic acid that could be useful in future site-directed mutagenesis studies to increase the catalytic efficiency of them and subsequently improve agronomic quality and tolerance of wheat against environmental stresses. Conclusions: This study provides comprehensive information that can lead to the detection of candidate genes for wheat genetic modification.

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