Convergent evolution of bacterial ceramide synthesis.

The bacterial domain produces numerous types of sphingolipids with various physiological functions. In the human microbiome, commensal and pathogenic bacteria use these lipids to modulate the host inflammatory system. Despite their growing importance, their biosynthetic pathway remains undefined since several key eukaryotic ceramide synthesis enzymes have no bacterial homolog. Here we used genomic and biochemical approaches to identify six proteins comprising the complete pathway for bacterial ceramide synthesis. Bioinformatic analyses revealed the widespread potential for bacterial ceramide synthesis leading to our discovery of a Gram-positive species that produces ceramides. Biochemical evidence demonstrated that the bacterial pathway operates in a different order from that in eukaryotes. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses support the hypothesis that the bacterial and eukaryotic ceramide pathways evolved independently.

Sugar-Phosphate Metabolism Regulates Stationary-Phase Entry and Stalk Elongation in Caulobacter crescentus.

Bacteria have a variety of mechanisms for adapting to environmental perturbations. Changes in oxygen availability result in a switch between aerobic and anaerobic respiration, whereas iron limitation may lead to siderophore secretion. In addition to metabolic adaptations, many organisms respond by altering their cell shape. Caulobacter crescentus, when grown under phosphate-limiting conditions, dramatically elongates its polar stalk appendage. The stalk is hypothesized to facilitate phosphate uptake; however, the mechanistic details of stalk synthesis are not well characterized. We used a chemical mutagenesis approach to isolate and characterize stalk-deficient mutants, one of which had two mutations in the phosphomannose isomerase gene (manA) that were necessary and sufficient to inhibit stalk elongation. Transcription of the pho regulon was unaffected in the manA mutant; therefore, ManA plays a unique regulatory role in stalk synthesis. The mutant ManA had reduced enzymatic activity, resulting in a 5-fold increase in the intracellular fructose 6-phosphate/mannose 6-phosphate ratio. This metabolic imbalance impaired the synthesis of cellular envelope components derived from mannose 6-phosphate, namely, lipopolysaccharide O-antigen and exopolysaccharide. Furthermore, the manA mutations prevented C. crescentus cells from efficiently entering stationary phase. Deletion of the stationary-phase response regulator gene spdR inhibited stalk elongation in wild-type cells, while overproduction of the alarmone ppGpp, which triggers growth arrest and stationary-phase entry, increased stalk length in the manA mutant strain. These results demonstrate that sugar-phosphate metabolism regulates stalk elongation independently of phosphate starvation.IMPORTANCE Metabolic control of bacterial cell shape is an important mechanism for adapting to environmental perturbations. Caulobacter crescentus dramatically elongates its polar stalk appendage in response to phosphate starvation. To investigate the mechanism of this morphological adaptation, we isolated stalk-deficient mutants, one of which had mutations in the phosphomannose isomerase gene (manA) that blocked stalk elongation, despite normal activation of the phosphate starvation response. The mutant ManA resulted in an imbalance in sugar-phosphate concentrations, which had effects on the synthesis of cellular envelope components and entry into stationary phase. Due to the interconnectivity of metabolic pathways, our findings may suggest more generally that the modulation of bacterial cell shape involves the regulation of growth phase and the synthesis of cellular building blocks.

Caulobacter crescentus Adapts to Phosphate Starvation by Synthesizing Anionic Glycoglycerolipids and a Novel Glycosphingolipid.

Caulobacter crescentus adapts to phosphate starvation by elongating its cell body and a polar stalk structure. The stalk is an extension of the Gram-negative envelope containing inner and outer membranes as well as a peptidoglycan cell wall. Cellular elongation requires a 6- to 7-fold increase in membrane synthesis, yet phosphate limitation would preclude the incorporation of additional phospholipids. In the place of phospholipids, C. crescentus can synthesize several glycolipid species, including a novel glycosphingolipid (GSL-2). While glycosphingolipids are ubiquitous in eukaryotes, the presence of GSL-2 in C. crescentus is surprising since GSLs had previously been found only in Sphingomonas species, in which they play a role in outer membrane integrity. In this paper, we identify three proteins required for GSL-2 synthesis: CcbF catalyzes the first step in ceramide synthesis, while Sgt1 and Sgt2 sequentially glycosylate ceramides to produce GSL-2. Unlike in Sphingomonas, GSLs are nonessential in C. crescentus; however, the presence of ceramides does contribute to phage resistance and susceptibility to the cationic antimicrobial peptide polymyxin B. The identification of a novel lipid species specifically produced upon phosphate starvation suggests that bacteria may be able to synthesize a wider variety of lipids in response to stresses than previously observed. Uncovering these lipids and their functional relevance will provide greater insight into microbial physiology and environmental adaptation.IMPORTANCE Bacteria adapt to environmental changes in a variety of ways, including altering their cell shape. Caulobacter crescentus adapts to phosphate starvation by elongating its cell body and a polar stalk structure containing both inner and outer membranes. While we generally think of cellular membranes being composed largely of phospholipids, cellular elongation occurs when environmental phosphate, and therefore phospholipid synthesis, is limited. In order to adapt to these environmental constraints, C. crescentus synthesizes several glycolipid species, including a novel glycosphingolipid. This finding is significant because glycosphingolipids, while ubiquitous in eukaryotes, are extremely rare in bacteria. In this paper, we identify three proteins required for GSL-2 synthesis and demonstrate that they contribute to phage resistance. These findings suggest that bacteria may synthesize a wider variety of lipids in response to stresses than previously observed.

Differential modes of crosslinking establish spatially distinct regions of peptidoglycan in Caulobacter crescentus.

The diversity of cell shapes across the bacterial kingdom reflects evolutionary pressures that have produced physiologically important morphologies. While efforts have been made to understand the regulation of some prototypical cell morphologies such as that of rod-shaped Escherichia coli, little is known about most cell shapes. For Caulobacter crescentus, polar stalk synthesis is tied to its dimorphic life cycle, and stalk elongation is regulated by phosphate availability. Based on the previous observation that C. crescentus stalks are lysozyme-resistant, we compared the composition of the peptidoglycan cell wall of stalks and cell bodies and identified key differences in peptidoglycan crosslinking. Cell body peptidoglycan contained primarily DD-crosslinks between meso-diaminopimelic acid and D-alanine residues, whereas stalk peptidoglycan had more LD-transpeptidation (meso-diaminopimelic acid-meso-diaminopimelic acid), mediated by LdtD. We determined that ldtD is dispensable for stalk elongation; rather, stalk LD-transpeptidation reflects an aging process associated with low peptidoglycan turnover in the stalk. We also found that lysozyme resistance is a structural consequence of LD-crosslinking. Despite no obvious selection pressure for LD-crosslinking or lysozyme resistance in C. crescentus, the correlation between these two properties was maintained in other organisms, suggesting that DAP-DAP crosslinking may be a general mechanism for regulating bacterial sensitivity to lysozyme.

Purification and HPLC Analysis of Cell Wall Muropeptides from Caulobacter crescentus.

The peptidoglycan sacculus, or cell wall, is what defines bacterial cell shape. Cell wall composition can be best characterized at the molecular level by digesting the peptidoglycan murein polymer into its muropeptide subunits and quantifying the abundance of muropeptides using high-pressure liquid chromatography. Certain features of the cell wall including muropeptide composition, glycan strand length, degree of crosslinking, type of crosslinking and other peptidoglycan modifications can be quantified using this approach. Well-established protocols provide us with highly-resolved and quantitatively reproducible chromatographic data, which can be used to investigate bacterial cell wall composition under a variety of environmental or genetic perturbations. The method described here enables the purification of muropeptide samples, their quantification by HPLC, and fraction collection for peak identification by mass spectrometry. Although the methods for peptidoglycan purification and HPLC analysis have been previously published, our method includes important details on how to re-equilibrate the column between runs to allow for automated analysis of multiple samples.

Self-assembled Nucleic Acid Nanostructures for Cancer Theranostic Medicines.

Theranostic medicine has become more promising in cancer treatment, where the cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy are combined for early diagnosis and precise treatment with improved efficacy and reduced side effects. Nanotechnology has played a critical role in developing various nanomaterials with engendered smart functions and targeted delivery. The rapid development of structural DNA nanotechnology has enabled the design and fabrication of complex nanostructures with prescribed 1D, 2D and 3D patterns in vitro and in vivo. Self-assembled DNA nanostructures can serve as drug delivery platforms that are integrated with various functions ranging from molecular recognition and computations, dynamically structural switch to carrying molecular payloads and selectively release. In this review, we summarize recent exciting progress of using DNA nanostructures to engineer novel smart drug-delivery systems potential for treating cancer.