scholarly journals Outer Membrane Vesicle Production Facilitates LPS Remodeling and Outer Membrane Maintenance inSalmonelladuring Environmental Transitions

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E. Bonnington ◽  
Meta J. Kuehn

ABSTRACTThe ability of Gram-negative bacteria to carefully modulate outer membrane (OM) composition is essential to their survival. However, the asymmetric and heterogeneous structure of the Gram-negative OM poses unique challenges to the cell’s successful adaption to rapid environmental transitions. Although mechanisms to recycle and degrade OM phospholipid material exist, there is no known mechanism by which to remove unfavorable lipopolysaccharide (LPS) glycoforms, except slow dilution through cell growth. As all Gram-negative bacteria constitutively shed OM vesicles (OMVs), we propose that cells may utilize OMV formation as a way to selectively remove environmentally disadvantageous LPS species. We examined the native kinetics of OM composition during physiologically relevant environmental changes inSalmonella enterica, a well-characterized model system for activation of PhoP/Q and PmrA/B two-component systems (TCSs). In response to acidic pH, toxic metals, antimicrobial peptides, and lack of divalent cations, these TCSs modify the LPS lipid A and core, lengthen the O antigen, and upregulate specific OM proteins. An environmental change to PhoP/Q- and PmrA/B-activating conditions simultaneously induced the addition of modified species of LPS to the OM, downregulation of previously dominant species of LPS, greater OMV production, and increased OMV diameter. Comparison of the relative abundance of lipid A species present in the OM and the newly budded OMVs following two sets of rapid environmental shifts revealed the retention of lipid A species with modified phosphate moieties in the OM concomitant with the selective loss of palmitoylated species via vesiculation following exposure to moderately acidic environmental conditions.IMPORTANCEAll Gram-negative bacteria alter the structural composition of LPS present in their OM in response to various environmental stimuli. We developed a system to track the native dynamics of lipid A change inSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium following an environmental shift to PhoP/Q- and PmrA/B-inducing conditions. We show that growth conditions influence OMV production, size, and lipid A content. We further demonstrate that the lipid A content of OMVs does not fit a stochastic model of content selection, revealing the significant retention of lipid A species containing covalent modifications that mask their 1- and 4′-phosphate moieties under host-like conditions. Furthermore, palmitoylation of the lipid A to form hepta-acylated species substantially increases the likelihood of its incorporation into OMVs. These results highlight a role for the OMV response in OM remodeling and maintenance processes in Gram-negative bacteria.

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (18) ◽  
pp. 6599-6600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Tan ◽  
Creg Darby

ABSTRACT Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the major outer membrane component of gram-negative bacteria. The minimal LPS structure for viability of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is lipid A glycosylated with 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) residues. Here we show that another member of the Enterobacteriaceae, Yersinia pestis, can survive without Kdo in its LPS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anshul Sinha ◽  
Sammy Nyongesa ◽  
Charles Viau ◽  
Samantha Gruenheid ◽  
Frédéric J. Veyrier ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTOuter membrane vesicles (OMVs) are naturally produced by Gram-negative bacteria by a bulging of the outer membrane (OM) and subsequent release into the environment. By serving as vehicles for various cargos, including proteins, nucleic acids and small metabolites, OMVs are central to interbacterial interactions and both symbiotic and pathogenic host bacterial interactions. However, despite their importance, the mechanism of OMV formation remains unclear. Recent evidence indicates that covalent modifications of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) influence OMV biogenesis. Several enteric bacteria modify LPS with phosphoethanolamine (pEtN) using the iron-regulated PmrC (EptA) and CptA pEtN transferases. In wild-typeCitrobacter rodentium, the presence of increasing subtoxic concentrations of iron was found to stimulate OMV production 4- to 9-fold above baseline.C. rodentiumuses the two-component system PmrAB to sense and adapt to environmental iron. Compared to the wild type, theC. rodentiumΔpmrABstrain exhibited heightened OMV production at similar iron concentrations. PmrAB regulates transcription ofpmrC(also known aseptA) andcptA. OMV production in strains lacking eitherpmrC(eptA) orcptAwas similarly increased in comparison to that of the wild type. Importantly, plasmid complementation ofC. rodentiumstrains with eitherpmrC(eptA) orcptAresulted in a drastic inhibition of OMV production. Finally, we showed that β-lactamase and CroP, two enzymes found in theC. rodentiumperiplasm and outer membrane (OM), respectively, are associated with OMVs. These data suggest a novel mechanism by whichC. rodentiumand possibly other Gram-negative bacteria can negatively affect OMV production through the PmrAB-regulated genespmrC(eptA) andcptA.IMPORTANCEAlthough OMVs secreted by Gram-negative bacteria fulfill multiple functions, the molecular mechanism of OMV biogenesis remains ill defined. Our group has previously shown that PmrC (also known as EptA) and CptA maintain OM integrity and provide resistance to iron toxicity and antibiotics in the murine pathogenCitrobacter rodentium. In several enteric bacteria, these proteins modify the lipid A and core regions of lipopolysaccharide with phosphoethanolamine moieties. Here, we show that these proteins also repress OMV production in response to environmental iron inC. rodentium. These data support the emerging understanding that lipopolysaccharide modifications are important regulators of OMV biogenesis in Gram-negative bacteria.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole P. Giordano ◽  
Melina B. Cian ◽  
Zachary D. Dalebroux

ABSTRACT The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria is an asymmetric lipid bilayer that consists of inner leaflet phospholipids and outer leaflet lipopolysaccharides (LPS). The asymmetric character and unique biochemistry of LPS molecules contribute to the OM’s ability to function as a molecular permeability barrier that protects the bacterium against hazards in the environment. Assembly and regulation of the OM have been extensively studied for understanding mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and bacterial defense against host immunity; however, there is little knowledge on how Gram-negative bacteria release their OMs into their environment to manipulate their hosts. Discoveries in bacterial lipid trafficking, OM lipid homeostasis, and host recognition of microbial patterns have shed new light on how microbes secrete OM vesicles (OMVs) to influence inflammation, cell death, and disease pathogenesis. Pathogens release OMVs that contain phospholipids, like cardiolipins, and components of LPS molecules, like lipid A endotoxins. These multiacylated lipid amphiphiles are molecular patterns that are differentially detected by host receptors like the Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor 2 complex (TLR4/MD-2), mouse caspase-11, and human caspases 4 and 5. We discuss how lipid ligands on OMVs engage these pattern recognition receptors on the membranes and in the cytosol of mammalian cells. We then detail how bacteria regulate OM lipid asymmetry, negative membrane curvature, and the phospholipid-to-LPS ratio to control OMV formation. The goal is to highlight intersections between OM lipid regulation and host immunity and to provide working models for how bacterial lipids influence vesicle formation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (38) ◽  
pp. 10344-10353
Author(s):  
Jiajun Wang ◽  
Jigneshkumar Dahyabhai Prajapati ◽  
Ulrich Kleinekathöfer ◽  
Mathias Winterhalter

Divalent cations alter the translocation of antibiotic molecules through the Gram-negative bacteria outer membrane nanopores.


2018 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 573-586
Author(s):  
Eva Krzyżewska ◽  
Jacek Rybka

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is a biological structure with a unique composition that significantly contributes to the survival of bacteria in the unfavorable conditions of the host organism. The lipopolysaccharide constitutes about 70% of the external part of the outer membrane. The LPS molecule is composed of three different parts: lipid A, core oligosaccharide and O antigen. Despite the O-specific antigen being one of the most intensely studied surface structures of bacterial polysaccharides, a number of questions regarding the mechanism of the O antigen biosynthesis and its transport to the cell surface are still unanswered. The paper describes the biosynthesis of the lipopolysaccharide molecule, with particular emphasis on the O-specific chain biosynthesis, the mechanism of lipopolysaccharide length regulation and the influence of the type of synthesized O-specific chains on bacterial survival in adverse host organisms.


Author(s):  
Jessica V. Hankins ◽  
James A. Madsen ◽  
Brittany D. Needham ◽  
Jennifer S. Brodbelt ◽  
M. Stephen Trent

mBio ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey W. Schertzer ◽  
Marvin Whiteley

ABSTRACTGram-negative bacteria naturally produce outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that arise through bulging and pinching off of the outer membrane. OMVs have several biological functions for bacteria, most notably as trafficking vehicles for toxins, antimicrobials, and signaling molecules. While their biological roles are now appreciated, the mechanism of OMV formation has not been fully elucidated. We recently demonstrated that the signaling molecule 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone (PQS) is required for OMV biogenesis inP. aeruginosa. We hypothesized that PQS stimulates OMV formation through direct interaction with the outer leaflet of the outer membrane. To test this hypothesis, we employed a red blood cell (RBC) model that has been used extensively to study small-molecule–membrane interactions. Our results revealed that addition of PQS to RBCs induced membrane curvature, resulting in the formation of membrane spicules (spikes), consistent with small molecules that are inserted stably into the outer leaflet of the membrane. Radiotracer experiments demonstrated that sufficient PQS was inserted into the membrane to account for this curvature and that curvature induction was specific to PQS structure. These data suggest that a low rate of interleaflet flip-flop forces PQS to accumulate in and expand the outer leaflet relative to the inner leaflet, thus inducing membrane curvature. In support of PQS-mediated outer leaflet expansion, the PQS effect was antagonized by chlorpromazine, a molecule known to be preferentially inserted into the inner leaflet. Based on these data, we propose a bilayer-couple model to describeP. aeruginosaOMV biogenesis and suggest that this is a general mechanism for bacterial OMV formation.IMPORTANCEDespite the ubiquity and importance of outer membrane vesicle (OMV) production in Gram-negative bacteria, the molecular details of OMV biogenesis are not fully understood. Early experiments showed that 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone (PQS) induces OMV formation through physical interaction with the membrane but did not elucidate the mechanism. The present study demonstrates that PQS specifically and reversibly promotes blebbing of model membranes dependent upon the same properties that are required for OMV formation inP. aeruginosa. These results are consistent with a mechanism where expansion of the outer leaflet relative to the inner leaflet induces localized membrane curvature. This “bilayer-couple” model can account for OMV formation under all conditions and is easily generalized to other Gram-negative bacteria. The model therefore raises the possibility of a universal paradigm for vesicle production in prokaryotes with features strikingly different from what is known in eukaryotes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 200 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica A. Falchi ◽  
Elisa A. Maccagni ◽  
Simone Puccio ◽  
Clelia Peano ◽  
Cristina De Castro ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIn Gram-negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contributes to the robust permeability barrier of the outer membrane (OM), preventing the entry of toxic molecules, such as detergents and antibiotics. LPS is transported from the inner membrane (IM) to the OM by the Lpt multiprotein machinery. Defects in LPS transport compromise LPS assembly at the OM and result in increased antibiotic sensitivity. LptA is a key component of the Lpt machine that interacts with the IM protein LptC and chaperones LPS through the periplasm. We report here the construction oflptA41, a quadruple mutant in four conserved amino acids potentially involved in LPS or LptC binding. Although viable, the mutant displays increased sensitivity to several antibiotics (bacitracin, rifampin, and novobiocin) and the detergent SDS, suggesting thatlptA41affects LPS transport. Indeed,lptA41is defective in Lpt complex assembly, and its lipid A carries modifications diagnostic of LPS transport defects. We also selected and characterized two phenotypic bacitracin-resistant suppressors oflptA41. One mutant, in which only bacitracin sensitivity is suppressed, harbors a small in-frame deletion inmlaA, which codes for an OM lipoprotein involved in maintaining OM asymmetry by reducing accumulation of phospholipids in the outer leaflet. The other mutant, in which bacitracin, rifampin, and SDS sensitivity is suppressed, harbors an additional amino acid substitution in LptA41 and a nonsense mutation inopgH, encoding a glycosyltransferase involved in periplasmic membrane-derived oligosaccharide synthesis. Characterization of the suppressor mutants highlights different strategies adopted by the cell to overcome OM defects caused by impaired LPS transport.IMPORTANCELipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the major constituent of the outer membrane (OM) of most Gram-negative bacteria, forming a barrier against antibiotics. LPS is synthesized at the inner membrane (IM), transported across the periplasm, and assembled at the OM by the multiprotein Lpt complex. LptA is the periplasmic component of the Lpt complex, which bridges IM and OM and ferries LPS across the periplasm. How the cell coordinates the processes involved in OM biogenesis is not completely understood. We generated a mutant partially defective inlptAthat exhibited increased sensitivity to antibiotics and selected for suppressors of the mutant. The analysis of two independent suppressors revealed different strategies adopted by the cell to overcome defects in LPS biogenesis.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (41) ◽  
pp. E6064-E6071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin Dovala ◽  
Christopher M. Rath ◽  
Qijun Hu ◽  
William S. Sawyer ◽  
Steven Shia ◽  
...  

Gram-negative bacteria possess a characteristic outer membrane, of which the lipid A constituent elicits a strong host immune response through the Toll-like receptor 4 complex, and acts as a component of the permeability barrier to prevent uptake of bactericidal compounds. Lipid A species comprise the bulk of the outer leaflet of the outer membrane and are produced through a multistep biosynthetic pathway conserved in most Gram-negative bacteria. The final steps in this pathway involve the secondary acylation of lipid A precursors. These are catalyzed by members of a superfamily of enzymes known as lysophospholipid acyltransferases (LPLATs), which are present in all domains of life and play important roles in diverse biological processes. To date, characterization of this clinically important class of enzymes has been limited by a lack of structural information and the availability of only low-throughput biochemical assays. In this work, we present the structure of the bacterial LPLAT protein LpxM, and we describe a high-throughput, label-free mass spectrometric assay to characterize acyltransferase enzymatic activity. Using our structure and assay, we identify an LPLAT thioesterase activity, and we provide experimental evidence to support an ordered-binding and “reset” mechanistic model for LpxM function. This work enables the interrogation of other bacterial acyltransferases’ structure–mechanism relationships, and the assay described herein provides a foundation for quantitatively characterizing the enzymology of any number of clinically relevant LPLAT proteins.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (20) ◽  
pp. 7213-7222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Murata ◽  
Will Tseng ◽  
Tina Guina ◽  
Samuel I. Miller ◽  
Hiroshi Nikaido

ABSTRACT The PhoPQ two-component system of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium produces a remodeling of the lipid A domain of the lipopolysaccharide, including the PagP-catalyzed addition of palmitoyl residue, the PmrAB-regulated addition of the cationic sugar 4-aminoarabinose and phosphoethanolamine, and the LpxO-catalyzed addition of a 2-OH group onto one of the fatty acids. By using the diffusion rates of the dyes ethidium, Nile red, and eosin Y across the outer membrane, as well as the susceptibility of cells to large, lipophilic agents, we evaluated the function of this membrane as a permeability barrier. We found that the remodeling process in PhoP-constitutive strains produces an outer membrane that serves as a very effective permeability barrier in an environment that is poor in divalent cations or that contains cationic peptides, whereas its absence in phoP null mutants produces an outer membrane severely compromised in its barrier function under these conditions. Removing combinations of the lipid A-remodeling functions from a PhoP-constitutive strain showed that the known modification reactions explain a major part of the PhoPQ-regulated changes in permeability. We believe that the increased barrier property of the remodeled bilayer is important in making the pathogen more resistant to the stresses that it encounters in the host, including attack by the cationic antimicrobial peptides. On the other hand, drug-induced killing assays suggest that the outer membrane containing unmodified lipid A may serve as a better barrier in the presence of high concentrations (e.g., 5 mM) of Mg2+.


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