1
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Bhattacharya A, Falk ID, Moss FR, Weiss TM, Tran KN, Burns NZ, Boxer SG. Structure-function relationships in pure archaeal bipolar tetraether lipids. Chem Sci 2024:d4sc03788j. [PMID: 39149219 PMCID: PMC11320390 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc03788j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Archaeal bipolar tetraether lipids (BTLs) are among the most unusual lipids occurring in nature because of their presumed ability to span the entire membrane to form a monolayer structure. It is believed that because of their unique structural organization and chemical stability, BTLs offer extraordinary adaptation to archaea to thrive in the most extreme milieus. BTLs have also received considerable attention for development of novel membrane-based materials. Despite their fundamental biological significance and biotechnological interests, prior studies on pure BTLs are limited because of the difficulty to extract them in pure form from natural sources or to synthesize them chemically. Here we have utilized chemical synthesis to enable in-depth biophysical investigations on a series of chemically pure glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids. The lipids self-assemble to form membrane-bound vesicles encapsulating polar molecules in aqueous media, and reconstitute a functional integral membrane protein. Structural properties of the membranes were characterized via small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). SAXS studies on bulk aqueous dispersions of GDGT lipids over 10-90 °C revealed lamellar and non-lamellar phases and their transitions. Next we asked whether vesicles overwhelmingly composed of a single GDGT species can undergo fusion as it is difficult to conceptualize such behavior with the assumption that such membranes have a monolayer structure. Interestingly, we observed that GDGT vesicles undergo fusion with influenza virus with lipid mixing kinetics comparable to that with vesicles composed of monopolar phospholipids. Our results suggest that GDGT membranes may consist of regions with a bilayer structure or form bilayer structures transiently which facilitate fusion and thus offer insight into how archaea may perform important physiological functions that require dynamical membrane behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahanjit Bhattacharya
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
- Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Isaac D Falk
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Frank R Moss
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Menlo Park CA 94025 USA
| | - Thomas M Weiss
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Menlo Park CA 94025 USA
| | - Khoi N Tran
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Noah Z Burns
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Steven G Boxer
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
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2
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Pouliquen DL. The biophysics of water in cell biology: perspectives on a keystone for both marine sciences and cancer research. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1403037. [PMID: 38803391 PMCID: PMC11128620 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1403037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The biophysics of water, has been debated over more than a century. Although its importance is still underestimated, significant breakthroughs occurred in recent years. The influence of protein condensation on water availability control was documented, new findings on water-transport proteins emerged, and the way water molecules rearrange to minimize free energy at interfaces was deciphered, influencing membrane thermodynamics. The state of knowledge continued to progress in the field of deep-sea marine biology, highlighting unknown effects of high hydrostatic pressure and/or temperature on interactions between proteins and ligands in extreme environments, and membrane structure adaptations. The role of osmolytes in protein stability control under stress is also discussed here in relation to fish egg hydration/buoyancy. The complexity of water movements within the cell is updated, all these findings leading to a better view of their impact on many cellular processes. The way water flow and osmotic gradients generated by ion transport work together to produce the driving force behind cell migration is also relevant to both marine biology and cancer research. Additional common points concern water dynamic changes during the neoplastic transformation of cells and tissues, or embryo development. This could improve imaging techniques, early cancer diagnosis, and understanding of the molecular and physiological basis of buoyancy for many marine species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Pouliquen
- Inserm, CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes Université, University of Angers, Angers, France
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3
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Yang W, Chen H, Chen Y, Chen A, Feng X, Zhao B, Zheng F, Fang H, Zhang C, Zeng Z. Thermophilic archaeon orchestrates temporal expression of GDGT ring synthases in response to temperature and acidity stress. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:575-587. [PMID: 36495168 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are unique archaeal membrane-spanning lipids with 0-8 cyclopentane rings on the biphytanyl chains. The cyclization pattern of GDGTs is affected by many environmental factors, such as temperature and pH, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains elusive. Here, we find that the expression regulation of GDGT ring synthase genes grsA and grsB in thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius is temperature- and pH-dependent. Moreover, the presence of functional GrsA protein, or more likely its products cyclic GDGTs rather than the accumulation of GrsA protein itself, is required to induce grsB expression, resulting in temporal regulation of grsA and grsB expression. Our findings establish a molecular model of GDGT cyclization regulated by environment factors in a thermophilic ecosystem, which could be also relevant to that in mesophilic marine archaea. Our study will help better understand the biological basis for GDGT-based paleoclimate proxies. Archaea inhabit a wide range of terrestrial and marine environments. In response to environment fluctuations, archaea modulate their unique membrane GDGTs lipid composition with different strategies, in particular GDGTs cyclization significantly alters membrane permeability. However, the regulation details of archaeal GDGTs cyclization in response to different environmental factor changes remain unknown. We demonstrated, for the first time, thermophilic archaea orchestrate the temporal expression of GDGT ring synthases, leading to delicate control of GDGTs cyclization to respond environmental temperature and acidity stress. Our study provides insight into the regulation of archaea membrane plasticity, and the survival strategy of archaea in fluctuating environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Yang
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Huahui Chen
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yufei Chen
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Aiping Chen
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Xi Feng
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bo Zhao
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fengfeng Zheng
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hongwei Fang
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Changyi Zhang
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Zhirui Zeng
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
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4
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Erimban S, Daschakraborty S. Homeoviscous Adaptation of the Lipid Membrane of a Soil Bacterium Surviving under Diurnal Temperature Variation: A Molecular Simulation Perspective. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:7638-7650. [PMID: 36166758 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A recent experiment has reported the lipidome remodeling of a soil-based plant-associated bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens due to diurnal temperature variations. The key adaptation strategy is the headgroup-specific remodeling of the acyl chain. To understand the idiosyncratic adaptation at the molecular level, we simulate the model membrane of the same bacterium using the reported lipidome compositions at four different experimental temperatures. We investigate the temperature-dependent packing density and fluidity of the membrane, the constancy of which is key to the homeoviscous adaptation. The results show that complex lipidome remodeling approximately preserves membrane properties under heat and cold stress. The headgroup-specific remodeling of the acyl chain serves to fine-tune the packing density and fluidity of the membrane at different temperatures. While lipids with strongly interacting headgroups are more abundant at higher temperatures, the lipidome is more dominated by lipids with weaker interacting headgroups at lower temperatures. This adaptation alleviates lipid membrane disruption caused by heat and cold stress. This study provides a molecular picture of the homeoviscous adaptation of the realistic lipid membrane of a soil-based bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakkira Erimban
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Patna, Bihar 801106, India
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5
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Vesicular and Planar Membranes of Archaea Lipids: Unusual Physical Properties and Biomedical Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147616. [PMID: 35886964 PMCID: PMC9319432 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Liposomes and planar membranes made of archaea or archaea-like lipids exhibit many unusual physical properties compared to model membranes composed of conventional diester lipids. Here, we review several recent findings in this research area, which include (1) thermosensitive archaeosomes with the capability to drastically change the membrane surface charge, (2) MthK channel's capability to insert into tightly packed tetraether black lipid membranes and exhibit channel activity with surprisingly high calcium sensitivity, and (3) the intercalation of apolar squalane into the midplane space of diether bilayers to impede proton permeation. We also review the usage of tetraether archaeosomes as nanocarriers of therapeutics and vaccine adjuvants, as well as the biomedical applications of planar archaea lipid membranes. The discussion on archaeosomal therapeutics is focused on partially purified tetraether lipid fractions such as the polar lipid fraction E (PLFE) and glyceryl caldityl tetraether (GCTE), which are the main components of PLFE with the sugar and phosphate removed.
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6
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Bacterial Membranes Are More Perturbed by the Asymmetric Versus Symmetric Loading of Amphiphilic Molecules. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12040350. [PMID: 35448320 PMCID: PMC9032087 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12040350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Characterizing the biophysical properties of bacterial membranes is critical for understanding the protective nature of the microbial envelope, interaction of biological membranes with exogenous materials, and designing new antibacterial agents. Presented here are molecular dynamics simulations for two cationic quaternary ammonium compounds, and the anionic and nonionic form of a fatty acid molecule interacting with a Staphylococcus aureus bacterial inner membrane. The effect of the tested materials on the properties of the model membranes are evaluated with respect to various structural properties such as the lateral pressure profile, lipid tail order parameter, and the bilayer’s electrostatic potential. Conducting asymmetric loading of molecules in only one leaflet, it was observed that anionic and cationic amphiphiles have a large impact on the Staphylococcus aureus membrane’s electrostatic potential and lateral pressure profile as compared to a symmetric distribution. Nonintuitively, we find that the cationic and anionic molecules induce a similar change in the electrostatic potential, which points to the complexity of membrane interfaces, and how asymmetry can induce biophysical consequences. Finally, we link changes in membrane structure to the rate of electroporation for the membranes, and again find a crucial impact of introducing asymmetry to the system. Understanding these physical mechanisms provides critical insights and viable pathways for the rational design of membrane-active molecules, where controlling the localization is key.
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7
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Law KP, He W, Tao J, Zhang C. A Novel Approach to Characterize the Lipidome of Marine Archaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus by Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:735878. [PMID: 34925256 PMCID: PMC8674956 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.735878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Archaea are differentiated from the other two domains of life by their biomolecular characteristics. One such characteristic is the unique structure and composition of their lipids. Characterization of the whole set of lipids in a biological system (the lipidome) remains technologically challenging. This is because the lipidome is innately complex, and not all lipid species are extractable, separable, or ionizable by a single analytical method. Furthermore, lipids are structurally and chemically diverse. Many lipids are isobaric or isomeric and often indistinguishable by the measurement of mass or even their fragmentation spectra. Here we developed a novel analytical protocol based on liquid chromatography ion mobility mass spectrometry to enhance the coverage of the lipidome and characterize the conformations of archaeal lipids by their collision cross-sections (CCSs). The measurements of ion mobility revealed the gas-phase ion chemistry of representative archaeal lipids and provided further insights into their attributions to the adaptability of archaea to environmental stresses. A comprehensive characterization of the lipidome of mesophilic marine thaumarchaeon, Nitrosopumilus maritimus (strain SCM1) revealed potentially an unreported phosphate- and sulfate-containing lipid candidate by negative ionization analysis. It was the first time that experimentally derived CCS values of archaeal lipids were reported. Discrimination of crenarchaeol and its proposed stereoisomer was, however, not achieved with the resolving power of the SYNAPT G2 ion mobility system, and a high-resolution ion mobility system may be required for future work. Structural and spectral libraries of archaeal lipids were constructed in non-vendor-specific formats and are being made available to the community to promote research of Archaea by lipidomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai P Law
- Southern University of Science and Technology, SUSTech Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wei He
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jianchang Tao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chuanlun Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
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8
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Kriegler S, Paulisch TO, Wegner T, Glorius F, Winter R. Bipolar Imidazolium-Based Lipid Analogues for Artificial Archaeosomes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:11996-12006. [PMID: 34619962 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c01565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Archaeal lipids have harvested biomedical and biotechnological interest because of their ability to form membranes with low permeability and enhanced temperature and pressure stability. Because of problems in isolating archaeal lipids, chemical synthesis appears to be a suitable means of producing model lipids that mimic the biological counterparts. Here, we introduce a new concept: we synthesized bipolar alkylated imidazolium salts of different chain lengths (BIm10-32) and studied their structure and lyotropic phase behavior. Furthermore, mixtures of the bolalipid analogues with phospholipid model biomembranes of diverse complexity were studied. DSC, fluorescence and FTIR spectroscopy, confocal fluorescence microscopy, DLS, SAXS, and TEM were used to reveal changes in lipid phase behavior, fluidity, the lipid's conformational order, and membrane morphology over a wide range of temperatures and for selected pressures. It could be shown that the long-chain BImN32 can form monolayer sheets. Integrated in phospholipid membranes, it reveals a fluidizing effect. Here, the two polar head groups, connected by a long alkyl chain, enable the integration into the bilayer. Interestingly, addition of BImN32 to fluid DPPC liposomes increased the lipid packing markedly, rendering the membrane system more stable at higher temperatures. The membrane system is also stable against compression as indicated by the high-pressure stability of the system, mimicking an archaeal lipid-like behavior. BImN32 incorporation into raft-like anionic model biomembranes led to marked changes in lateral membrane organization, topology, and fusogenicity of the membrane. Overall, it was found that long-chain imidazolium-based bolalipid analogues can help adjust membrane's biophysical properties, while the imidazolium headgroup provides the ability for crucial electrostatic interaction for vesicle fusion or selective interaction with membrane-related signaling molecules and polypeptides in a synthetically tractable manner. The results obtained may help to develop new approaches for rational design of extremophilic bolalipid-based liposomes for various applications, including delivery of drugs and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Kriegler
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, TU Dortmund University, Otto Hahn Str. 4a, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Tiffany O Paulisch
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Tristan Wegner
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Frank Glorius
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Roland Winter
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, TU Dortmund University, Otto Hahn Str. 4a, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
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9
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Falk ID, Gál B, Bhattacharya A, Wei JH, Welander PV, Boxer SG, Burns NZ. Enantioselective Total Synthesis of the Archaeal Lipid Parallel GDGT‐0 (Isocaldarchaeol)**. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202104051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Isaac D. Falk
- Department of Chemistry Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Bálint Gál
- Department of Chemistry Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | | | - Jeremy H. Wei
- Department of Earth System Science Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Paula V. Welander
- Department of Earth System Science Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Steven G. Boxer
- Department of Chemistry Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
| | - Noah Z. Burns
- Department of Chemistry Stanford University Stanford CA 94305 USA
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10
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Cho Y, Christoff-Tempesta T, Kaser SJ, Ortony JH. Dynamics in supramolecular nanomaterials. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:5850-5863. [PMID: 34114584 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00047k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembly of amphiphilic small molecules in water leads to nanostructures with customizable structure-property relationships arising from their tunable chemistries. Characterization of these assemblies is generally limited to their static structures -e.g. their geometries and dimensions - but the implementation of tools that provide a deeper understanding of molecular motions has recently emerged. Here, we summarize recent reports showcasing dynamics characterization tools and their application to small molecule assemblies, and we go on to highlight supramolecular systems whose properties are substantially affected by their conformational, exchange, and water dynamics. This review illustrates the importance of considering dynamics in rational amphiphile design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukio Cho
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Ty Christoff-Tempesta
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Samuel J Kaser
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Julia H Ortony
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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11
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Falk ID, Gál B, Bhattacharya A, Wei JH, Welander PV, Boxer SG, Burns NZ. Enantioselective Total Synthesis of the Archaeal Lipid Parallel GDGT-0 (Isocaldarchaeol)*. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:17491-17496. [PMID: 33930240 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202104051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Archaeal glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGT) are some of the most unusual membrane lipids identified in nature. These amphiphiles are the major constituents of the membranes of numerous Archaea, some of which are extremophilic organisms. Due to their unique structures, there has been significant interest in studying both the biophysical properties and the biosynthesis of these molecules. However, these studies have thus far been hampered by limited access to chemically pure samples. Herein, we report a concise and stereoselective synthesis of the archaeal tetraether lipid parallel GDGT-0 and the synthesis and self-assembly of derivatives bearing different polar groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac D Falk
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Bálint Gál
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | | | - Jeremy H Wei
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Paula V Welander
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Steven G Boxer
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Noah Z Burns
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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12
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Rasouli A, Jamali Y, Tajkhorshid E, Bavi O, Pishkenari HN. Mechanical properties of ester- and ether-DPhPC bilayers: A molecular dynamics study. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2021; 117:104386. [PMID: 33588213 PMCID: PMC8009841 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2021.104386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
In addition to its biological importance, DPhPC lipid bilayers are widely used in droplet bilayers, study of integral membrane proteins, drug delivery systems as well as patch-clamp electrophysiology of ion channels, yet their mechanical properties are not fully measured. Herein, we examined the effect of the ether linkage on the mechanical properties of ester- and ether-DPhPC lipid bilayers using all-atom molecular dynamics simulation. The values of area per lipid, thickness, intrinsic lateral pressure profile, order parameter, and elasticity moduli were estimated using various computational frameworks and were compared with available experimental values. Overall, a good agreement was observed between the two. The global properties of the two lipid bilayers are vastly different, with ether bilayer being stiffer, less ordered, and thicker than ester bilayer. Moreover, ether linkage decreased the area per lipid in the ether lipid bilayer. Our computational framework and output demonstrate how ether modification changes the mechano-chemical properties of DPhPC bilayers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Rasouli
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Department of Biochemistry, And Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Yousef Jamali
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Emad Tajkhorshid
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Department of Biochemistry, And Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Omid Bavi
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz, Iran.
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13
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Vitkova V, Mitkova D, Yordanova V, Pohl P, Bakowsky U, Staneva G, Batishchev O. Elasticity and phase behaviour of biomimetic membrane systems containing tetraether archaeal lipids. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2020.124974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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14
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Dey S, Saha J. Minimal Coarse-Grained Modeling toward Implicit Solvent Simulation of Generic Bolaamphiphiles. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:2938-2949. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c00734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Somajit Dey
- Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, 92, A.P.C Road, Kolkata 700009, India
| | - Jayashree Saha
- Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, 92, A.P.C Road, Kolkata 700009, India
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15
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Salvador-Castell M, Brooks NJ, Peters J, Oger P. Induction of non-lamellar phases in archaeal lipids at high temperature and high hydrostatic pressure by apolar polyisoprenoids. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2019; 1862:183130. [PMID: 31734311 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2019.183130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
It is now well established that cell membranes are much more than a barrier that separate the cytoplasm from the outside world. Regarding membrane's lipids and their self-assembling, the system is highly complex, for example, the cell membrane needs to adopt different curvatures to be functional. This is possible thanks to the presence of non-lamellar-forming lipids, which tend to curve the membrane. Here, we present the effect of squalane, an apolar isoprenoid molecule, on an archaea-like lipid membrane. The presence of this molecule provokes negative membrane curvature and forces lipids to self-assemble under inverted cubic and inverted hexagonal phases. Such non-lamellar phases are highly stable under a broad range of external extreme conditions, e.g. temperatures and high hydrostatic pressures, confirming that such apolar lipids could be included in the architecture of membranes arising from cells living under extreme environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicholas J Brooks
- Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Judith Peters
- Université Grenoble Alpes, LiPhy, CNRS, 38000 Grenoble, France; Institut Laue Langevin, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Philippe Oger
- Université de Lyon, INSA de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5240, 69211 Villeurbanne, France.
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16
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Xu R, Dehghan A, Shi AC, Zhou J. Elastic property of membranes self-assembled from diblock and triblock copolymers. Chem Phys Lipids 2019; 221:83-92. [PMID: 30926383 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2019.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 03/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The elastic property of membranes self-assembled from AB diblock and ABA triblock copolymers, as coarse-grained model of lipids and the bolalipids, are studied using the self-consistent field theory (SCFT). Specifically, solutions of the SCFT equations, corresponding to membranes in different geometries (planar, cylindrical, spherical, and pore) have been obtained for a model system composed of amphiphilic AB diblock copolymers and ABA triblock copolymers dissolved in A homopolymers. The free energy of the membranes with different geometries is then used to extract the bending modulus, Gaussian modulus, and line tension of the membranes. The results reveal that the bending modulus of the triblock membrane is greater than that of the diblock membrane. Furthermore, the Gaussian modulus and line tension of the triblock membrane indicate that the triblock membranes have higher pore formation energy than that of the diblock membranes. The equilibrium bridging and looping fractions of the triblock copolymers are also obtained. Implications of the theoretical results on the elastic properties of biologically equivalent lipid bilayers and the bolalipid membranes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xu
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - Ashkan Dehghan
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - An-Chang Shi
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M1, Canada.
| | - Jiajia Zhou
- Center of Soft Matter Physics and its Applications, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; School of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China; Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
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Leonard AN, Wang E, Monje-Galvan V, Klauda JB. Developing and Testing of Lipid Force Fields with Applications to Modeling Cellular Membranes. Chem Rev 2019; 119:6227-6269. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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18
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Marquês JT, Marinho HS, de Almeida RF. Sphingolipid hydroxylation in mammals, yeast and plants – An integrated view. Prog Lipid Res 2018; 71:18-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2018.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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19
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Kasson P, DiMaio F, Yu X, Lucas-Staat S, Krupovic M, Schouten S, Prangishvili D, Egelman EH. Model for a novel membrane envelope in a filamentous hyperthermophilic virus. eLife 2017. [PMID: 28639939 PMCID: PMC5517147 DOI: 10.7554/elife.26268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological membranes create compartments, and are usually formed by lipid bilayers. However, in hyperthermophilic archaea that live optimally at temperatures above 80°C the membranes are monolayers which resemble fused bilayers. Many double-stranded DNA viruses which parasitize such hosts, including the filamentous virus AFV1 of Acidianus hospitalis, are enveloped with a lipid-containing membrane. Using cryo-EM, we show that the membrane in AFV1 is a ~2 nm-thick monolayer, approximately half the expected membrane thickness, formed by host membrane-derived lipids which adopt a U-shaped ‘horseshoe’ conformation. We hypothesize that this unusual viral envelope structure results from the extreme curvature of the viral capsid, as ‘horseshoe’ lipid conformations favor such curvature and host membrane lipids that permit horseshoe conformations are selectively recruited into the viral envelope. The unusual envelope found in AFV1 also has many implications for biotechnology, since this membrane can survive the most aggressive conditions involving extremes of temperature and pH. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26268.001 Virtually every environment on the planet is home to some form of life, even places that, at first glance, appear to be too harsh for any organism to survive in. For example, a microscopic organism known as Acidianus hospitalis thrives in highly acidic environments that are hotter than 80°C, conditions that would kill humans and many other species. Acidianus hospitalis has many adaptations that allow it to survive in its extreme environment. For example, the membrane that surrounds its cells has a different structure to the membranes that surround the cells of most other species. Membranes are made of molecules known as lipids. Generally these lipids assemble into two distinct layers (known as a bilayer) to form the membrane. However, in A. hospitalis the membrane contains only a single layer of lipids that resembles a bilayer in which lipids in opposite layers have fused together to make longer molecules. A virus known as AFV1 is able to infect A. hospitalis. Like many other viruses, AFV1 steals part of its host cell’s membrane when it leaves the cell in search of new cells to infect. This stolen membrane helps to protect the virus from its surroundings, however, the structure of the membrane surrounding AFV1 was not known. Kasson et al. combined a technique called cryo-electron microscopy with computer simulations to study the membrane surrounding AFV1. The study shows that this membrane is only half as thick as the membrane that surrounds A. hospitalis. To make this thinner membrane, flexible lipid molecules from the A. hospitalis membrane bend into a U-shape. These findings reveal a new type of membrane structure not previously seen in the natural world. In the future, this thinner membrane could have many uses in biotechnology, such as to make probes for medical imaging in patients or to deliver drugs to specific sites in the body. Enveloped by this unusual membrane, these structures may be more resistant to the normal processes that degrade and destroy foreign materials in humans and other organisms. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26268.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Kasson
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States
| | - Frank DiMaio
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Xiong Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States
| | | | - Mart Krupovic
- Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Stefan Schouten
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, Netherlands.,Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Utrecht University, Texel, Netherlands
| | | | - Edward H Egelman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States
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20
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Siliakus MF, van der Oost J, Kengen SWM. Adaptations of archaeal and bacterial membranes to variations in temperature, pH and pressure. Extremophiles 2017; 21:651-670. [PMID: 28508135 PMCID: PMC5487899 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-017-0939-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The cytoplasmic membrane of a prokaryotic cell consists of a lipid bilayer or a monolayer that shields the cellular content from the environment. In addition, the membrane contains proteins that are responsible for transport of proteins and metabolites as well as for signalling and energy transduction. Maintenance of the functionality of the membrane during changing environmental conditions relies on the cell's potential to rapidly adjust the lipid composition of its membrane. Despite the fundamental chemical differences between bacterial ester lipids and archaeal ether lipids, both types are functional under a wide range of environmental conditions. We here provide an overview of archaeal and bacterial strategies of changing the lipid compositions of their membranes. Some molecular adjustments are unique for archaea or bacteria, whereas others are shared between the two domains. Strikingly, shared adjustments were predominantly observed near the growth boundaries of bacteria. Here, we demonstrate that the presence of membrane spanning ether-lipids and methyl branches shows a striking relationship with the growth boundaries of archaea and bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melvin F Siliakus
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - John van der Oost
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Servé W M Kengen
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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21
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Huguet C, Fietz S, Rosell-Melé A, Daura X, Costenaro L. Molecular dynamics simulation study of the effect of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether hydroxylation on membrane thermostability. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2017; 1859:966-974. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Revised: 02/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Pineda De Castro LF, Dopson M, Friedman R. Biological Membranes in Extreme Conditions: Anionic Tetraether Lipid Membranes and Their Interactions with Sodium and Potassium. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:10628-10634. [PMID: 27668511 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b06206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Archaea such as Sulfolobus acidocaldarius tolerate extreme temperatures and high acidity and can grow in the presence of toxic metals and low concentrations of Na+ or K+. It is believed that their unique tetraether membranes protect them from harsh environments and allow their survival under such conditions. We used molecular dynamics simulations to study membranes comprising glycerol dialkylnonitol tetraether lipids, which are the main component of S. acidocaldarius membranes, in solutions containing different concentrations of NaCl and KCl or with Na+ or K+ counterions (trace cations, 0 M). Anionic binding sites on the membranes were almost 50% occupied in the presence of counterions. The free energy of cation-phosphate complexation and the residence times of ions near the membranes were found to be both ion- and concentration-dependent. Sodium ions had more favorable interactions with the membranes and a longer residence time, whereas higher cation concentrations led to shorter ion residence times. When only counterions were present in the solutions, large residence times suggested that the membrane may function as a cation-attracting reservoir. The results suggested that the ions can be easily transferred to the cytoplasm as needed, explaining the growth curves of S. acidocaldarius under different salinities and pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Felipe Pineda De Castro
- Computational Chemistry and Biochemistry Research Group (CCBG), Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, ‡Centre of Excellence "Biomaterials Chemistry", and §Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS), Linnæus University , 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Mark Dopson
- Computational Chemistry and Biochemistry Research Group (CCBG), Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, ‡Centre of Excellence "Biomaterials Chemistry", and §Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS), Linnæus University , 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Ran Friedman
- Computational Chemistry and Biochemistry Research Group (CCBG), Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, ‡Centre of Excellence "Biomaterials Chemistry", and §Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS), Linnæus University , 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
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23
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Stetter FW, Hyun SH, Brander S, Urban JM, Thompson DH, Hugel T. Nanomechanical characterization of lipid bilayers with AFM-based methods. POLYMER 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2015.11.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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24
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Dey G, Thattai M, Baum B. On the Archaeal Origins of Eukaryotes and the Challenges of Inferring Phenotype from Genotype. Trends Cell Biol 2016; 26:476-485. [PMID: 27319280 PMCID: PMC4917890 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2016.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Revised: 03/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
If eukaryotes arose through a merger between archaea and bacteria, what did the first true eukaryotic cell look like? A major step toward an answer came with the discovery of Lokiarchaeum, an archaeon whose genome encodes small GTPases related to those used by eukaryotes to regulate membrane traffic. Although ‘Loki’ cells have yet to be seen, their existence has prompted the suggestion that the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes engulfed the future mitochondrion by phagocytosis. We propose instead that the archaeal ancestor was a relatively simple cell, and that eukaryotic cellular organization arose as the result of a gradual transfer of bacterial genes and membranes driven by an ever-closer symbiotic partnership between a bacterium and an archaeon. Eukaryotes are thought to be a product of symbiosis between archaea and bacteria. The recently discovered Lokiarchaeum (‘Loki’) encodes more Eukaryotic Signature Proteins (ESPs) than any other archaeon, making it the closest living relative to the putative ancestor of eukaryotes. Lokiarchaeum is the first prokaryote found to encode small GTPases, gelsolin, BAR domains, and longin domains, leading many to suggest that it might be compartmentalized and be capable of membrane trafficking. Many models for the evolution of eukaryotes invoke an archaeal ancestor that is capable of phagocytosis to explain the entry of the future mitochondrion into the host cell. Understanding the cell biology of Lokiarchaeum will be key to understanding the morphological transitions that characterized the evolution of eukaryotic cellular architecture, but Loki has not yet been cultured or seen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gautam Dey
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Mukund Thattai
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bengaluru 560065, India
| | - Buzz Baum
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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25
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Pineda De Castro LF, Dopson M, Friedman R. Biological Membranes in Extreme Conditions: Simulations of Anionic Archaeal Tetraether Lipid Membranes. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155287. [PMID: 27167213 PMCID: PMC4864297 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In contrast to the majority of organisms that have cells bound by di-ester phospholipids, archaeal membranes consist of di- and tetraether phospholipids. Originating from organisms that withstand harsh conditions (e.g., low pH and a wide range of temperatures) such membranes have physical properties that make them attractive materials for biological research and biotechnological applications. We developed force-field parameters based on the widely used Generalized Amber Force Field (GAFF) to enable the study of anionic tetraether membranes of the model archaean Sulfolobus acidocaldarius by computer simulations. The simulations reveal that the physical properties of these unique membranes depend on the number of cyclopentane rings included in each lipid unit, and on the size of cations that are used to ensure charge neutrality. This suggests that the biophysical properties of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius cells depend not only on the compositions of their membranes but also on the media in which they grow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Felipe Pineda De Castro
- Computational Chemistry and Biochemistry research Group (CCBG), Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Linnæus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
- Centre of Excellence “Biomaterials Chemistry”, Linnæus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Mark Dopson
- Systems Biology of Microorganisms Research Group (SBMR), Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS), Linnæus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Ran Friedman
- Computational Chemistry and Biochemistry research Group (CCBG), Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Linnæus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
- Centre of Excellence “Biomaterials Chemistry”, Linnæus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
- * E-mail:
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