Lipid domain formation and non-lamellar structures associated with varied lysylphosphatidylglycerol analogue content in a model Staphylococcal plasma membrane.

Dipalmitoyl-3-aza-dehydroxy-lysylphosphatidylglycerol (DP3adLPG), is a chemically stable synthetic analogue of the bacterial lipid lysylphosphatidylglycerol (LPG), designed as a substitute for the notoriously labile native lipid in biophysical investigations. In Staphylococcus aureus, LPG is known to play a role in resistance to antibiotics by altering membrane charge properties in response to environmental stress, but little is known about how LPG influences other bilayer physicochemical properties or lateral organisation, through the formation of complexes with lipids such as phosphatidylglycerol (PG). In this study we have investigated the different phases formed by biomimetic mixtures of 3adLPG and PG in different thermotropic states, using neutron diffraction and electron microscopy. In a DPPG/DP3adLPG 70:30 mol% mixture, two distinct lamellar phases were observed below the lipid melting transition: Lß' 1 and Lß' 2 with respective periodicities of 82 and 62 Å. Increasing the proportion of DP3adLPG to mimic the effects of environmental stress led to the disappearance of the Lß' 1 phase and the formation of an inverse hexagonal phase. The compositions of these different phases were identified by investigating the thermotropic properties of the two mixtures, and probing their interaction with the antimicrobial peptide magainin 2 F5W. We propose that the observed polymorphism results from the preferential formation of either triplet PG-3adLPG-PG, or paired PG-3adLPG complexes, dependent upon the mixing proportions of the two lipids. The relevance of these findings to the role native LPG in S. aureus, are discussed with respect to their influence on antibiotic resistance and lateral membrane organisation.

The pH-dependence of lipid-mediated antimicrobial peptide resistance in a model staphylococcal plasma membrane: A two-for-one mechanism of epithelial defence circumvention.

The mechanisms of membrane defence by lysylphosphatidylglycerol (LPG), were investigated using synthetic biomimetic mono- and bilayer models of methicillin resistant S. aureus ST239 TW, based on its lipid composition in both pH 7.4 (28% LPG) and pH 5.5 (51% LPG) cultures. These models incorporated a stable synthetic analogue of LPG (3adLPG) to facilitate long-duration biophysical studies, which were previously limited by the lability native LPG. Both increased 3adLPG content and full headgroup ionization at pH 5.5, increased bilayer order and dampened overall charge, via the formation of neutral ion pairs with anionic lipids. Ion pair formation in air/liquid interface lipid monolayers elicited a significant condensing effect, which correlated with the inhibition of subphase-injected magainin 2 F5W partitioning. In fluid phase lipid vesicles, increasing the proportion of 3adLPG from 28 to 51 mol% completely inhibited the adoption of the membrane-active α­helical conformation of the peptide, without the need for full headgroup ionization. Neutron reflectivity measurements performed on biomimetic PG/3adLPG fluid floating bilayers, showed a significant ordering effect of mild acidity on a bilayer containing 30 mol% 3adLPG, whilst peptide binding/partitioning was only fully inhibited in a bilayer with 55 mol% 3adLPG at pH 5.5. These findings are discussed with respect to the roles of LPG in resistance to human epithelial defences in S. aureus and the continued evolution of this opportunistic pathogen's virulence.

The influence of mild acidity on lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol biosynthesis and lipid membrane physico-chemical properties in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The increased biosynthesis of lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol in Staphylococcus aureus when cultured under conditions of mild acidity and the resultant increased proportion of this lipid in the plasma membrane of the bacterium, alters the physico-chemical properties of lipid bilayers in a manner which is itself dependent upon environmental pH. Clinically relevant strains of S. aureus, both methicillin susceptible and resistant, all exhibited increased lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol biosynthesis in response to mild environmental acidity, albeit to differing degrees, from ∼30% to ∼55% total phospholipid. Polar lipid extracts from these bacteria were analysed by 31P NMR and reconstituted into vesicles and monolayers, which were characterised by zeta potential measurements and Langmuir isotherms respectively. A combination of increased lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol content and mild environmental acidity were found to synergistically neutralise the charge of the membranes, in one instance altering the zeta potential from -56mV to +21mV, and induce closer packing between the lipids. Challenge of reconstituted S. aureus lipid model membranes by the antimicrobial peptide magainin 2 F5W was examined using monolayer subphase injection and neutron diffraction, and revealed that ionisation of the headgroup α-amine of lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol at pH 5.5, which reduced the magnitude of the peptide-lipid interaction by 80%, was more important for resisting peptide partitioning than increased lipid content alone. The significance of these results is discussed in relation to how colonising mildly acidic environments such as human mucosa may be facilitated by increased lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol biosynthesis and the implications of this for further biophysical analysis of the role of this lipid in bacterial membranes.

Mechanism of Action of a Membrane-Active Quinoline-Based Antimicrobial on Natural and Model Bacterial Membranes.

HT61 is a quinoline-derived antimicrobial, which exhibits bactericidal potency against both multiplying and quiescent methicillin resistant and sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, and has been proposed as an adjunct for other antimicrobials to extend their usefulness in the face of increasing antimicrobial resistance. In this study, we have examined HT61's effect on the permeability of S. aureus membranes and whether this putative activity can be attributed to an interaction with lipid bilayers. Using membrane potential and ATP release assays, we have shown that HT61 disrupts the membrane enough to result in depolarization of the membrane and release of intercellular constituents at concentrations above and below the minimum inhibitory concentration of the drug. Utilizing both monolayer subphase injection and neutron reflectometry, we have shown that increasing the anionic lipid content of the membrane leads to a more marked effect of the drug. In bilayers containing 25 mol % phosphatidylglycerol, neutron reflectometry data suggest that exposure to HT61 increases the level of solvent in the hydrophobic region of the membrane, which is indicative of gross structural damage. Increasing the proportion of PG elicits a concomitant level of membrane damage, resulting in almost total destruction when 75 mol % phosphatidylglycerol is present. We therefore propose that HT61's primary action is directed toward the cytoplasmic membrane of Gram-positive bacteria.