Principles of Membrane Adaptation Revealed through Environmentally Induced Bacterial Lipidome Remodeling

• Published in: Cell reports (Cambridge) 2020-09, Vol.32 (12), p.108165-108165, Article 108165
• Main Authors: Chwastek, Grzegorz, Surma, Michal A., Rizk, Sandra, Grosser, Daniel, Lavrynenko, Oksana, Rucińska, Magdalena, Jambor, Helena, Sáenz, James
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Bacteria - metabolism; bacteria-host interactions; bacterial membranes; Cell Membrane - physiology; homeoviscous adaptation; hopanoids; lipidome resource; lipidomic remodeling; Lipidomics; lipids; membrane adaptation; membrane bioengineering; Phospholipids - chemistry; Phospholipids - metabolism
• ISSN: 2211-1247; 2211-1247
• DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108165

Cells, from microbes to mammals, adapt their membrane lipid composition in response to environmental changes to maintain optimal properties. Global patterns of lipidome remodeling are poorly understood, particularly in organisms with simple lipid compositions that can provide insight into fundamental principles of membrane adaptation. Using shotgun lipidomics, we examine the simple yet, as we show here, adaptive lipidome of the plant-associated Gram-negative bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens. We observe that minimally 11 lipids account for 90% of total variability, thus constraining the upper limit of variable lipids required for an adaptive living membrane. Through lipid features analysis, we reveal that acyl chain remodeling is not evenly distributed across lipid classes, resulting in headgroup-specific effects of acyl chain variability on membrane properties. Results herein implicate headgroup-specific acyl chain remodeling as a mechanism for fine-tuning the membrane’s physical state and provide a resource for using M. extorquens to explore the design principles of living membranes. [Display omitted] •We examine the lipidome of the Gram-negative bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens•At least 11 out of 27 total lipid species contribute to adaptation to varying conditions•Remodeling of acyl chains is unevenly distributed across all lipid classes•Headgroup-specific acyl chain remodeling is implicated as an adaptive mechanism Patterns of lipidome remodeling involved in membrane adaptation are poorly understood. Using shotgun lipidomics, Chwastek et al. reveal the simple yet adaptive lipidome of Methylobacterium extorquens. Their observations constrain the lipid complexity required for an adaptive membrane and implicate headgroup-specific acyl chain remodeling as a mechanism for fine-tuning the membrane’s properties.