scholarly journals Monounsaturated Fatty Acids Are Substrates for Aldehyde Generation in Tellurite-ExposedEscherichia coli

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonzalo A. Pradenas ◽  
Waldo A. Díaz-Vásquez ◽  
José M. Pérez-Donoso ◽  
Claudio C. Vásquez

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage macromolecules and cellular components in nearly all kinds of cells and often generate toxic intracellular byproducts. In this work, aldehyde generation derived from theEscherichia colimembrane oxidation as well as membrane fatty acid profiles, protein oxidation, and bacterial resistance to oxidative stress elicitors was evaluated. Studies included wild-type cells as well as cells exhibiting a modulated monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) ratio. The hydroxyaldehyde 4-hydroxy 2-nonenal was found to be most likely produced byE. coli, whose levels are dependent upon exposure to oxidative stress elicitors. Aldehyde amounts and markers of oxidative damage decreased upon exposure toE. colicontaining low MUFA ratios, which was paralleled by a concomitant increase in resistance to ROS-generating compounds. MUFAs ratio, lipid peroxidation, and aldehyde generation were found to be directly related; that is, the lower the MUFAs ratio, the lower the peroxide and aldehyde generation levels. These results provide additional evidence about MUFAs being targets for membrane lipid oxidation and their relevance in aldehyde generation.

Microbiology ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 148 (2) ◽  
pp. 559-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Gong ◽  
Kathy Takayama ◽  
Staffan Kjelleberg

In bacteria, cytoplasmic levels of the effector nucleotide ppGpp are regulated in response to changes in growth conditions. This study describes the involvement of SpoT-mediated ppGpp accumulation in the survival of light-exposed bacteria during fatty acid starvation. In contrast to isogenic wild-type strains and relA mutants, the ‘Vibrio angustum’ S14 spoT and Escherichia coli relA spoT mutants displayed significant losses in viability in response to cerulenin-induced fatty acid starvation under cool-white fluorescent light. However, when starvation experiments were performed in complete darkness, or under light filtered through a UV-resistant perspex sheet, only a minor decline in viability was observed for the wild-type and mutant strains. This finding indicated that the lethal effect was mediated by weak UV emission. In contrast to the E. coli relA spoT mutant, which lacks ppGpp, the ‘V. angustum’ S14 spoT mutant exhibited higher ppGpp levels and lower RNA synthesis rates during fatty acid starvation, features that might be correlated with its lethality. In agreement with this finding, fatty acid starvation lethality also occurred upon induction of ppGpp overaccumulation in E. coli. These data suggest that the precise regulation of ppGpp levels in the stressed cell is crucial, and that both the absence and the overaccumulation of ppGpp impair fatty acid starvation survival of light-exposed cells. Moreover, the UV-induced lethal effect during fatty acid starvation was also observed for E. coli strains mutated in rpoS and dps, which, in the wild-type, are regulated directly or indirectly by ppGpp, respectively. The restoration of viability of fatty-acid-starved spoT mutant cells through the addition of exogenous catalase suggested that the observed light-dependent lethal effect was, at least in part, caused by UV-imposed oxidative stress. Based on these results, it is proposed that fatty acid starvation adaptation of light-exposed bacterial cells depends on the development of resistance to UV-induced oxidative stress. This stress resistance was found to require appropriate ppGpp levels, ppGpp-induced RpoS expression and, hence, upregulation of RpoS-regulated stress-defending genes, such as dps.


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54
Author(s):  
I De Gasperín ◽  
J.G. Vicente ◽  
J.M. Pinos-Rodríguez ◽  
F Montiel ◽  
R Loeza ◽  
...  

The aim of this research was to determine fatty acid profiles in piglet brain, skin, and muscle, and in the milk of sows fed fat with different saturation grades during gestation and lactation. At 42 days of gestation, 50 multiparous sows were randomly allocated to one of two treatments, namely a diet containing pork lard (n = 25) and a diet containing soybean oil (n = 25). The fats were provided at 3.6% during gestation and at 4% during lactation. The experimental diets were offered through the weaning of the piglets. The fatty acid profile of the milk was determined fourteen days after parturition. At weaning (21 days postpartum) and seven days later, one of the piglets (n = 64) from 16 sows allocated to each treatment was selected at random to determine fatty acid profiles in brain, skin and muscle. Saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were higher in the diet with pork lard than in that with soybean oil, in which the polyunsaturated fat content was higher. A higher saturation of fatty acids was found in milk from the sows that consumed pork lard, which contained more saturated fatty acids than the milk from sows that consumed soybean oil. The fatty acid profiles in muscle and skin of the piglets were affected by the diet of the sows. However, the fatty acid profile of the piglets’ brains was not affected by the diet of their mothers. Keywords: fat saturation, lard, piglet survival, sow feeding, soybean oil


2019 ◽  
Vol 295 (4) ◽  
pp. 981-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Tempelhagen ◽  
Anita Ayer ◽  
Doreen E. Culham ◽  
Roland Stocker ◽  
Janet M. Wood

Ubiquinone 8 (coenzyme Q8 or Q8) mediates electron transfer within the aerobic respiratory chain, mitigates oxidative stress, and contributes to gene expression in Escherichia coli. In addition, Q8 was proposed to confer bacterial osmotolerance by accumulating during growth at high osmotic pressure and altering membrane stability. The osmolyte trehalose and membrane lipid cardiolipin accumulate in E. coli cells cultivated at high osmotic pressure. Here, Q8 deficiency impaired E. coli growth at low osmotic pressure and rendered growth osmotically sensitive. The Q8 deficiency impeded cellular O2 uptake and also inhibited the activities of two proton symporters, the osmosensing transporter ProP and the lactose transporter LacY. Q8 supplementation decreased membrane fluidity in liposomes, but did not affect ProP activity in proteoliposomes, which is respiration-independent. Liposomes and proteoliposomes prepared with E. coli lipids were used for these experiments. Similar oxygen uptake rates were observed for bacteria cultivated at low and high osmotic pressures. In contrast, respiration was dramatically inhibited when bacteria grown at the same low osmotic pressure were shifted to high osmotic pressure. Thus, respiration was restored during prolonged growth of E. coli at high osmotic pressure. Of note, bacteria cultivated at low and high osmotic pressures had similar Q8 concentrations. The protection of respiration was neither diminished by cardiolipin deficiency nor conferred by trehalose overproduction during growth at low osmotic pressure, but rather might be achieved by Q8-independent respiratory chain remodeling. We conclude that osmotolerance is conferred through Q8-independent protection of respiration, not by altering physical properties of the membrane.


2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (16) ◽  
pp. 4930-4937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haihong Wang ◽  
John E. Cronan

ABSTRACT The organization of the fatty acid synthetic genes of Haemophilus influenzae Rd is remarkably similar to that of the paradigm organism, Escherichia coli K-12, except that no homologue of the E. coli fabF gene is present. This finding is unexpected, since fabF is very widely distributed among bacteria and is thought to be the generic 3-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase active on long-chain-length substrates. However, H. influenzae Rd contains a homologue of the E. coli fabB gene, which encodes a 3-ketoacyl-ACP synthase required for unsaturated fatty acid synthesis, and it seemed possible that the H. influenzae FabB homologue might have acquired the functions of FabF. E. coli mutants lacking fabF function are unable to regulate the compositions of membrane phospholipids in response to growth temperature. We report in vivo evidence that the enzyme encoded by the H. influenzae fabB gene has properties essentially identical to those of E. coli FabB and lacks FabF activity. Therefore, H. influenzae grows without FabF function. Moreover, as predicted from studies of the E. coli fabF mutants, H. influenzae is unable to change the fatty acid compositions of its membrane phospholipids with growth temperature. We also demonstrate that the fabB gene of Vibrio cholerae El Tor N16961 does not contain a frameshift mutation as was previously reported.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gao Chen ◽  
Zhen-ying Peng ◽  
Lei Shan ◽  
Ning Xuan ◽  
Gui-ying Tang ◽  
...  

In this study, a full-length cDNA of the acyl-ACP thioesterase,AhFatA, was cloned from developing seeds ofArachis hypogaeaL. by 3′-RACE. Sequence analysis showed that the open reading frame encodes a peptide of 372 amino acids and has 50–70% identity with FatA from other plants. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed thatAhFatA was expressed in all tissues ofA. hypogaeaL., but most strongly in the immature seeds harvested at 60 days after pegging. Heterologous expression ofAhFatA inEscherichia coliaffected bacterial growth and changed the fatty acid profiles of the membrane lipid, resulting in directed accumulation towards palmitoleic acid and oleic acid. These results indicate that AhFatA is at least partially responsible for determining the high palmitoleic acid and oleic acid composition ofE. coli.


mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Hryckowian ◽  
Rodney A. Welch

ABSTRACTUropathogenicEscherichia coli(UPEC) is the most common causative agent of community-acquired urinary tract infection (UTI). In order to cause UTI, UPEC must endure stresses ranging from nutrient limitation to host immune components. RpoS (σS), the general stress response sigma factor, directs gene expression under a variety of inhibitory conditions. Our study ofrpoSin UPEC strain CFT073 began after we discovered anrpoS-frameshift mutation in one of our laboratory stocks of “wild-type” CFT073. We demonstrate that anrpoS-deletion mutation in CFT073 leads to a colonization defect during UTI of CBA/J mice at 48 hours postinfection (hpi). There is no difference between the growth rates of CFT073 and CFT073rpoSin urine. This indicates thatrpoSis needed for replication and survival in the host rather than being needed to address limitations imposed by urine nutrients. Consistent with previous observations inE. coliK-12, CFT073rpoSis more sensitive to oxidative stress than the wild type. We demonstrate that peroxide levels are elevated in voided urine from CFT073-infected mice compared to urine from mock-infected mice, which supports the notion that oxidative stress is generated by the host in response to UPEC. In mice that lack phagocyte oxidase, the enzyme complex expressed by phagocytes that produces superoxide, the competitive defect of CFT073rpoSin bladder colonization is lost. These results demonstrate that σSis important for UPEC survival under conditions of phagocyte oxidase-generated stress during UTI. Though σSaffects the pathogenesis of other bacterial species, this is the first work that directly implicates σSas important for UPEC pathogenesis.IMPORTANCEUPEC must cope with a variety of stressful conditions in the urinary tract during infection. RpoS (σS), the general stress response sigma factor, is known to direct the expression of many genes under a variety of stressful conditions in laboratory-adaptedE. coliK-12. Here, we show that σSis needed by the model UPEC strain CFT073 to cope with oxidative stress provided by phagocytes during infection. These findings represent the first report that implicates σSin the fitness of UPEC during infection and support the idea of the need for a better understanding of the effects of this global regulator of gene expression during UTI.


Author(s):  
N. Silas ◽  
R. Demissie ◽  
L.W.M. Fung

An NADH-dependent enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase, FabI, catalyzes the final step of bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis, reducing the double bond of trans-2-enoyl-ACP to a single bond forming acyl-ACP. Given its importance in bacterial fatty acid synthesis, FabI has become a recognized drug target. Triclosan, a diphenyl ether, targets the FabI, inhibits its activity, and stops bacterial growth. However, as a consequence of triclosan's popularity, and thus its overuse, bacterial resistance to triclosan has been reported. The mutation G93V in Escherichia coli (E. coli) FabI allows E. coli to resist the action of triclosan. We have identified the equivalent residue of G93 in Francisella tularensis FabI (ftFabI) as A92, and prepared a mutant A92V. E. coli cells, transformed with a plasmid containing the ftFabI-A92V gene, were grown, and the gene was overexpressed. From two growths (6 G of cells), 62 mG of protein, with a histidine tag, at a purity of 85% were obtained. Enzymatic activity was assayed by monitoring the absorbance of NADH at 340 nm. In the presence of triclosan, the wild-type protein was almost completely inhibited after NADH was converted to NAD$^+$ in the enzymatic reaction; however the A92V mutant exhibited similar activity with and without triclosan, demonstrating that triclosan resistance may also develop in Francisella tularensis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (13) ◽  
pp. e00148-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waldemar Seel ◽  
Alexander Flegler ◽  
Marija Zunabovic-Pichler ◽  
André Lipski

ABSTRACTListeria monocytogenesis a food pathogen capable of growing at a broad temperature range from 50°C to refrigerator temperatures. A key requirement for bacterial activity and growth at low temperatures is the ability to adjust the membrane lipid composition to maintain cytoplasmic membrane fluidity. In this study, we confirmed earlier findings that the extents of fatty acid profile adaptation differed betweenL. monocytogenesstrains. We were able to demonstrate for isolates from food that growth rates at low temperatures and resistance to freeze-thaw stress were not impaired by a lower adaptive response of the fatty acid composition. This indicated the presence of a second adaptation mechanism besides temperature-regulated fatty acid synthesis. For strains that showed weaker adaptive responses in their fatty acid profiles to low growth temperature, we could demonstrate a significantly higher concentration of isoprenoid quinones. Three strains even showed a higher quinone concentration after growth at 6°C than at 37°C, which is contradictory to the reduced respiratory activity at lower growth temperatures. Analyses of the membrane fluidityin vivoby measuring generalized polarization and anisotropy revealed modulation of the transition phase. Strains with increased quinone concentrations showed an expanded membrane transition phase in contrast to strains with pronounced adaptations of fatty acid profiles. The correlation between quinone concentration and membrane transition phase expansion was confirmed by suppression of quinone synthesis. A reduced quinone concentration resulted in a narrower transition phase. Expansion of the phase transition zone by increasing the concentration of non-fatty acid membrane lipids is discussed as an additional mechanism improving adaptation to temperature shifts forL. monocytogenesstrains.IMPORTANCEListeria monocytogenesis a foodborne pathogen with an outstanding temperature range for growth. The ability for growth at temperatures close to the freezing point constitutes a serious contamination potential for cold stored food. The only known mechanism of the species for adaptation of membrane fluidity is modification of the membrane fatty acid composition. We were able to demonstrate that, at least for some strains, this adaptation mechanism is supported by regulation of the menaquinone concentration. The increase of this neutral membrane lipid is correlated with fluidization of the membrane under low-temperature conditions and therefore represents a fatty acid-independent mechanism for adaptation to low temperatures.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Chazan ◽  
Andrey Rozenberg ◽  
Kentaro Mannen ◽  
Takashi Nagata ◽  
Ran Tahan ◽  
...  

AbstractRhodopsins are widespread in microbes residing in diverse aquatic environments across the globe. Recently, a new unusual rhodopsin family, the heliorhodopsins (HeRs), was discovered, distributed among diverse bacteria, archaea, eukarya and even viruses. Here, using functional metagenomics on samples from Lake Ha’Hula and Ein Afek reserve, we found and characterized ten HeRs representing divergent members of the family. The expressed HeRs absorb light in the green and yellow wavelengths and originate from Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi and Archaea. The photocycle of the HeR from Chloroflexi revealed a low accumulation of the M-intermediate that we connect to the lack of two conserved histidine residues in transmembrane helices 1 and 2 in this protein. Another of HeR, from Actinobacteria, exhibited an unusually fast photocycle (166 ms, 5 times faster than HeR-48C12). To further explore the still unresolved question of the HeR function, we performed an analysis of protein families among genes neighboring HeRs, in our clones and thousands of other microbes. This analysis revealed a putative connection between HeRs and genes involved in oxidative stress. At the same time, very few protein families were found to distinguish genes surrounding prokaryotic HeRs from those surrounding rhodopsin pumps. The strongest association was found with the DegV family involved in activation of fatty acids and uncharacterized family DUF2177, which allowed us to hypothesize that HeRs are involved in membrane lipid remodeling. This work further establishes functional metagenomics as a simple and fruitful method of screening for new rhodopsins.SignificanceThe recently discovered divergent rhodopsin family of heliorhodopsins is abundant in freshwater environments. In this study, we sampled a habitat rich in dissolved organic matter to increase our chances of finding spectrally shifted rhodopsins. Using functional metagenomics, diverse heliorhodopsins absorbing green and yellow light were discovered. The metagenomic clones originated from diverse prokaryotic groups: Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi and even Archaea, emphasizing the versatility of the E. coli expression system used. Photocycles of representative heliorhodopsins were measured and exhibited diverse kinetic characteristics. Analysis of genes neighboring heliorhodopsins in diverse prokaryotes revealed their putative connection to membrane lipid re-modeling and oxidative stress. Our findings suggest that functional metagenomics is a productive method for the discovery of new and diverse rhodopsins.


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