The final assembly of trehalose polyphleates takes place within the outer layer of the mycobacterial cell envelope

Trehalose polyphleates (TPP) are high-molecular-weight, surface-exposed glycolipids present in a broad range of nontuberculous mycobacteria. These compounds consist of a trehalose core bearing polyunsaturated fatty acyl substituents (called phleic acids) and a straight-chain fatty acid residue and share a common basic structure with trehalose-based glycolipids produced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TPP production starts in the cytosol with the formation of a diacyltrehalose intermediate. An acyltransferase, called PE, subsequently catalyzes the transfer of phleic acids onto diacyltrehalose to form TPP, and an MmpL transporter promotes the export of TPP or its precursor across the plasma membrane. PE is predicted to be an anchored membrane protein, but its topological organization is unknown, raising questions about the subcellular localization of the final stage of TPP biosynthesis and the chemical nature of the substrates that are translocated by the MmpL transporter. Here, using genetic, biochemical, and proteomic approaches, we established that PE of Mycobacterium smegmatis is exported to the cell envelope following cleavage of its signal peptide and that this process is required for TPP biosynthesis, indicating that the last step of TPP formation occurs in the outer layers of the mycobacterial cell envelope. These results provide detailed insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling TPP formation and transport to the cell surface, enabling us to propose an updated model of the TPP biosynthetic pathway. Because the molecular mechanisms of glycolipid production are conserved among mycobacteria, these findings obtained with PE from M. smegmatis may offer clues to glycolipid formation in M. tuberculosis.

Solvent selection for fatty acid residue analysis of archeologicial artifacts

Residue analysis has rapidly become one of the most useful techniques for determining an artifact function and revealing insight into paleodiets. The success of analytical residue analysis often lies with the first preparatory step, where the residue is extracted from the object. Detection of a residue requires effective solvation of the material, and there is a large range of potential solvents. One purpose of this study is to determine the efficiency of various solvents for the extraction of fatty acids from charcoal, a material that is ubiquitous, easily identified, remarkably stable in the archaeological record but, most importantly for this research, retains fats extremely well. This investigation examines the removal efficiency of model fatty acids from carbonized wood samples. The strong affinity of lipids to charcoal makes carbonized wood ideal for retaining them, but also makes their extraction extremely challenging and thus an ideal benchmark for solvent extraction characterization. Several solvents (benzene, chloroform, hexane, methanol and water) are used to determine the quantitative extraction efficiency of tripalmitin. While benzene and chloroform perform best for some wood types, neither solvent is better for all carbonized wood. Correlations between the chemical properties of the solvents and the effectiveness of the extraction provide guidance for solvents. Findings indicate solvent characteristics including dipole moment, dielectric constant, hydrogen bonding, and molecular weight all play an important role in extraction of fat from a charcoal matrix. Results presented should provide guidelines to allow for more effective residue extration and more accurate lipid analysis.

Toll-like receptor 2-mediated dendritic cell activation by a Porphyromonas gingivalis synthetic lipopeptide

A PG1828 gene-encoded triacylated lipoprotein was previously isolated from a Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide preparation as a Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 agonist and its lipopeptide derivatives were synthesized based on the chemical structure. In the present study, granulocyte–macrophage colony stimulating factor-differentiated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDDCs) were stimulated separately with the P. gingivalis synthetic lipopeptide N-palmitoyl-S-[2-pentadecanoyloxy, 3-palmitoyloxy-(2R)-propyl]-l-Cys-Asn-Ser-Gln-Ala-Lys (PGTP2-RL) and its glyceryl stereoisomer (PGTP2-SL). Only PGTP2-RL activated BMDDCs from wild-type mice to secrete tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and IL-12p40, whilst PGTP2-RL-induced cytokine production was eliminated in TLR2 knockout (−/−) BMDDCs. BMDDCs from wild-type mice but not TLR2−/− mice responded to PGTP2-RL as well as Pam3CSK4 by increasing the expression of maturation markers, including CD80 (B7-1), CD86 (B7-2), CD40, CD275 (B7RP-1/inducible T-cell co-stimulatory ligand) and major histocompatibility complex class II. Taken together, these results indicate that the fatty acid residue at the glycerol position in the P. gingivalis lipopeptide plays a pivotal role in TLR2-mediated dendritic cell activation.

A Rhizobium leguminosarum Lipopolysaccharide Lipid-A Mutant Induces Nitrogen-Fixing Nodules with Delayed and Defective Bacteroid Formation

Lipopolysaccharides from pea-nodulating strain Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae 3841, as all other members of the family Rhizobiaceae with the possible exception of Azorhizobium caulinodans, contains a very long chain fatty acid; 27-hydroxyoctacosanoic acid (27OHC28:0) in its lipid A region. The exact function and importance of this residue, however, is not known. In this work, a previously constructed mutant, Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae 22, deficient in the fatty acid residue, was analyzed for its symbiotic phenotype. While the mutant was able to form nitrogen-fixing nodules, a detailed study of the timing and efficiency of nodulation using light and electron microscopy showed that there was a delay in the onset of nodulation and nodule tissue invasion. Further, microscopy showed that the mutant was unable to differentiate normally forming numerous irregularly shaped bacteroids, that the resultant mature bacteroids were unusually large, and that several bacteroids were frequently enclosed in a single symbiosome membrane, a feature not observed with parent bacteroids. In addition, the mutant nodules were delayed in the onset of nitrogenase production and showed reduced nitrogenase throughout the testing period. These results imply that the lack of 27OHC28:0 in the lipid A in mutant bacteroids results in altered membrane properties that are essential for the development of normal bacteroids.

Synthesis of Phospholipids Bearing a Conjugated Oxo-polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Residue

2-(15′-Oxo-5’,8’,11’,13′-eicosatetraenoyl)-1-stearoyl- sn-glycerol(3)phosphocholine (APC-CO) 1 and 2 and 2-(13′-oxo-9’,11′-octadecadienoyl)-1-stearoyl- sn-glycero(3)phosphocholine (LPC-CO) 3 are synthesized and an analytical system established for the determination of geometrical isomers at the 13’ position of APC-CO.