scholarly journals The Structure of the Lipid A of Gram-Negative Cold-Adapted Bacteria Isolated from Antarctic Environments

Marine Drugs ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 592
Author(s):  
Flaviana Di Lorenzo ◽  
Francesca Crisafi ◽  
Violetta La Cono ◽  
Michail M. Yakimov ◽  
Antonio Molinaro ◽  
...  

Gram-negative Antarctic bacteria adopt survival strategies to live and proliferate in an extremely cold environment. Unusual chemical modifications of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the main component of their outer membrane are among the tricks adopted to allow the maintenance of an optimum membrane fluidity even at particularly low temperatures. In particular, the LPS’ glycolipid moiety, the lipid A, typically undergoes several structural modifications comprising desaturation of the acyl chains, reduction in their length and increase in their branching. The investigation of the structure of the lipid A from cold-adapted bacteria is, therefore, crucial to understand the mechanisms underlying the cold adaptation phenomenon. Here we describe the structural elucidation of the highly heterogenous lipid A from three psychrophiles isolated from Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. All the lipid A structures have been determined by merging data that was attained from the compositional analysis with information from a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and MS2 investigation. As lipid A is also involved in a structure-dependent elicitation of innate immune response in mammals, the structural characterization of lipid A from such extremophile bacteria is also of great interest from the perspective of drug synthesis and development inspired by natural sources.

2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 5518-5531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly K. McLendon ◽  
Birgit Schilling ◽  
Jason R. Hunt ◽  
Michael A. Apicella ◽  
Bradford W. Gibson

ABSTRACT Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major component of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, and the lipid A region of LPS mediates stimulation of the immune system in a structure-dependent manner. Unlike the LPS of many other gram-negative bacteria, the LPS of Francisella tularensis isolated from in vitro cultures is not proinflammatory. This observed lack of proinflammatory prowess may reflect structural features of the lipid A, such as the number and length of the acyl chains and the single-phosphate group. To better understand this phenotype, we have begun to elucidate LPS biosynthesis in F. tularensis. We present complementation, mutational, and chemical data demonstrating that F. tularensis FTT0232c encodes a functional late acyltransferase enzyme with specificity similar to that of the Escherichia coli LpxL ortholog. Expression of this late acyltransferase complemented the temperature-sensitive and hypoacylated lipid A phenotypes of an E. coli lpxL mutant, expression of FTT0232c is increased during intracellular growth relative to that during in vitro growth, and finally, LPS obtained from a mutant of F. tularensis lacking FTT0232c showed an abundant triacyl lipid A species after mass spectrometric analysis, consistent with the loss of an LpxL late acyltransferase.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin M Harberts ◽  
Daniel Grubaugh ◽  
Daniel C. Akuma ◽  
Sunny Shin ◽  
Robert K Ernst ◽  
...  

Immune sensing of the Gram-negative bacterial membrane glycolipid lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is both a critical component of host defense against Gram-negative bacterial infection, and a contributor to hyper-inflammatory response, leading to sepsis and death. Innate immune activation by LPS is due to the lipid A moiety, an acylated di-glucosamine molecule that can activate inflammatory responses via the extracellular sensor TLR4/MD2 or the cytosolic sensor caspase-11 (Casp11). The number and length of acyl chains present on bacterial lipid A structures vary across bacterial species and strains, which affects the magnitude of TLR4 and Casp11 activation. TLR4 and Casp11 are thought to respond similarly to various lipid A structures, as tetra-acylated lipid A structures do not activate either sensor, whereas hexa-acylated structures activate both sensors. However, direct analysis of extracellular and cytosolic responses to the same sources and preparations of LPS/lipid A structures have been limited, and the precise features of lipid A that determine the differential activation of each receptor remain poorly defined. To address this question, we used rationally engineered lipid A isolated from a series of bacterial acyl-transferase mutants that produce novel, structurally defined molecules. Intriguingly, we find that the location of specific secondary acyl chains on lipid A resulted in differential recognition by TLR4- or Casp11, providing new insight into the structural features of lipid A required to activate either TLR4- or Casp11. Our findings indicate that TLR4 and Casp11 sense non-overlapping areas of lipid A chemical space, thereby constraining the ability of Gram-negative pathogens to evade innate immunity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2552
Author(s):  
Molly Dorothy Pither ◽  
Giuseppe Mantova ◽  
Elena Scaglione ◽  
Chiara Pagliuca ◽  
Roberta Colicchio ◽  
...  

Gram-negative bacteria experiencing marine habitats are constantly exposed to stressful conditions dictating their survival and proliferation. In response to these selective pressures, marine microorganisms adapt their membrane system to ensure protection and dynamicity in order to face the highly mutable sea environments. As an integral part of the Gram-negative outer membrane, structural modifications are commonly observed in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecule; these mainly involve its glycolipid portion, i.e., the lipid A, mostly with regard to fatty acid content, to counterbalance the alterations caused by chemical and physical agents. As a consequence, unusual structural chemical features are frequently encountered in the lipid A of marine bacteria. By a combination of data attained from chemical, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS), and MS/MS analyses, here, we describe the structural characterization of the lipid A isolated from two marine bacteria of the Echinicola genus, i.e., E. pacifica KMM 6172T and E. vietnamensis KMM 6221T. This study showed for both strains a complex blend of mono-phosphorylated tri- and tetra-acylated lipid A species carrying an additional sugar moiety, a d-galacturonic acid, on the glucosamine backbone. The unusual chemical structures are reflected in a molecule that only scantly activates the immune response upon its binding to the LPS innate immunity receptor, the TLR4-MD-2 complex. Strikingly, both LPS potently inhibited the toxic effects of proinflammatory Salmonella LPS on human TLR4/MD-2.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3303
Author(s):  
Artur Muszyński ◽  
Kol A. Zarember ◽  
Christian Heiss ◽  
Joseph Shiloach ◽  
Lars J. Berg ◽  
...  

Granulibacter bethesdensis can infect patients with chronic granulomatous disease, an immunodeficiency caused by reduced phagocyte NADPH oxidase function. Intact G. bethesdensis (Gb) is hypostimulatory compared to Escherichia coli, i.e., cytokine production in human blood requires 10–100 times more G. bethesdensis CFU/mL than E. coli. To better understand the pathogenicity of G. bethesdensis, we isolated its lipopolysaccharide (GbLPS) and characterized its lipid A. Unlike with typical Enterobacteriaceae, the release of presumptive Gb lipid A from its LPS required a strong acid. NMR and mass spectrometry demonstrated that the carbohydrate portion of the isolated glycolipid consists of α-Manp-(1→4)-β-GlcpN3N-(1→6)-α-GlcpN-(1⇿1)-α-GlcpA tetra-saccharide substituted with five acyl chains: the amide-linked N-3′ 14:0(3-OH), N-2′ 16:0(3-O16:0), and N-2 18:0(3-OH) and the ester-linked O-3 14:0(3-OH) and 16:0. The identification of glycero-d-talo-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Ko) as the first constituent of the core region of the LPS that is covalently attached to GlcpN3N of the lipid backbone may account for the acid resistance of GbLPS. In addition, the presence of Ko and only five acyl chains may explain the >10-fold lower proinflammatory potency of GbKo–lipidA compared to E. coli lipid A, as measured by cytokine induction in human blood. These unusual structural properties of the G.bethesdensis Ko–lipid A glycolipid likely contribute to immune evasion during pathogenesis and resistance to antimicrobial peptides.


Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
Nobuyuki Okahashi ◽  
Masahiro Ueda ◽  
Fumio Matsuda ◽  
Makoto Arita

Lipid A is a characteristic molecule of Gram-negative bacteria that elicits an immune response in mammalian cells. The presence of structurally diverse lipid A types in the human gut bacteria has been suggested before, and this appears associated with the immune response. However, lipid A structures and their quantitative heterogeneity have not been well characterized. In this study, a method of analysis for lipid A using liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS) was developed and applied to the analyses of Escherichia coli and Bacteroidetes strains. In general, phosphate compounds adsorb on stainless-steel piping and cause peak tailing, but the use of an ammonia-containing alkaline solvent produced sharp lipid A peaks with high sensitivity. The method was applied to E. coli strains, and revealed the accumulation of lipid A with abnormal acyl side chains in knockout strains as well as known diphosphoryl hexa-acylated lipid A in a wild-type strain. The analysis of nine representative strains of Bacteroidetes showed the presence of monophosphoryl penta-acylated lipid A characterized by a highly heterogeneous main acyl chain length. Comparison of the structures and amounts of lipid A among the strains suggested a relationship between lipid A profiles and the phylogenetic classification of the strains.


2016 ◽  
Vol 120 ◽  
pp. 68-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Larrouy-Maumus ◽  
Abigail Clements ◽  
Alain Filloux ◽  
Ronan R. McCarthy ◽  
Serge Mostowy

1967 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 759-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Clarke ◽  
G. W. Gray ◽  
D. A. Reaveley

1. The insoluble residue and material present in the aqueous layers resulting from treatment of cell walls of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with aqueous phenol were examined. 2. The products (fractions AqI and AqII) isolated from the aqueous layers from the first and second extractions respectively account for approx. 25% and 12% of the cell wall and consist of both lipopolysaccharide and muropeptide. 3. The lipid part of the lipopolysaccharide is qualitatively similar to the corresponding material (lipid A) from other Gram-negative organisms, as is the polysaccharide part. 4. The insoluble residue (fraction R) contains sacculi, which also occur in fraction AqII. On hydrolysis, the sacculi yield glucosamine, muramic acid, alanine, glutamic acid and 2,6-diaminopimelic acid, together with small amounts of lysine, and they are therefore similar to the murein sacculi of other Gram-negative organisms. Fraction R also contains substantial amounts of protein, which differs from that obtained from the phenol layer. 5. The possible association or aggregation of lipopolysaccharide, murein and murein sacculi is discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadsanee Awang ◽  
Prapasiri Pongprayoon

Abstract Human α-defensin 5 (HD5) is one of cationic antimicrobial peptides which plays a crucial role in an innate immune system in human body. HD5 shows the killing activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria by making a pore in a bacterial membrane and penetrating into a cytosol. Nonetheless, its pore-forming mechanisms remain unclear. Thus, in this work, the constant-velocity steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulation was used to simulate the permeation of a dimeric HD5 into a gram-negative LPS membrane model. Arginine-rich HD5 is found to strongly interact with a LPS surface. Upon arrival, arginines on HD5 interact with lipid A head groups and then drag these charged moieties down into a hydrophobic core resulting in the formation of water-filled pore. Although all arginines are found to interact with a membrane, R13 and R32 appear to play a dominant role in the HD5 adsorption on a gram-negative membrane. Furthermore, one chain of a dimeric HD5 is required for HD5 adhesion. The interactions of arginine-Lipid A head groups play a major role in adhering a cationic HD5 on a membrane surface and retarding a HD5 passage in the meantime.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (464) ◽  
pp. eaal0033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahsan R. Akram ◽  
Sunay V. Chankeshwara ◽  
Emma Scholefield ◽  
Tashfeen Aslam ◽  
Neil McDonald ◽  
...  

Respiratory infections in mechanically ventilated patients caused by Gram-negative bacteria are a major cause of morbidity. Rapid and unequivocal determination of the presence, localization, and abundance of bacteria is critical for positive resolution of the infections and could be used for patient stratification and for monitoring treatment efficacy. Here, we developed an in situ approach to visualize Gram-negative bacterial species and cellular infiltrates in distal human lungs in real time. We used optical endomicroscopy to visualize a water-soluble optical imaging probe based on the antimicrobial peptide polymyxin conjugated to an environmentally sensitive fluorophore. The probe was chemically stable and nontoxic and, after in-human intrapulmonary microdosing, enabled the specific detection of Gram-negative bacteria in distal human airways and alveoli within minutes. The results suggest that pulmonary molecular imaging using a topically administered fluorescent probe targeting bacterial lipid A is safe and practical, enabling rapid in situ identification of Gram-negative bacteria in humans.


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