Converting Escherichia coli into an archaebacterium with a hybrid heterochiral membrane

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 115; no. 14; pp. 3704 - 3709
• Main Authors: Caforio, Antonella, Siliakus, Melvin F., Exterkate, Marten, Jain, Samta, Jumde, Varsha R., Andringa, Ruben L. H., Kengen, Servé W. M., Minnaard, Adriaan J., Driessen, Arnold J. M., van der Oost, John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 03.04.2018
• Subjects: Archaea; Archaea - metabolism; Bacteria; Biological Evolution; Biological Sciences; Biosynthesis; Cell Membrane - chemistry; Cell Membrane - metabolism; E coli; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - metabolism; Ether lipids; Ethers - chemistry; Ethers - metabolism; Gene expression; Glycerol; Glycerol-3-phosphate; Growth rate; Hybrid membranes; Lipid biosynthesis; Lipids; Membrane composition; Membrane Lipids - chemistry; Membrane Lipids - metabolism; Membranes; Phenotypes; Phosphates; Phospholipids - chemistry; Phospholipids - metabolism; Stereochemistry; lipid biosynthesis; bacteria; hybrid membranes; ether lipids; archaea
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1721604115

One of the main differences between bacteria and archaea concerns their membrane composition. Whereas bacterial membranes are made up of glycerol-3-phosphate ester lipids, archaeal membranes are composed of glycerol-1-phosphate ether lipids. Here, we report the construction of a stable hybrid heterochiral membrane through lipid engineering of the bacterium Escherichia coli. By boosting isoprenoid biosynthesis and heterologous expression of archaeal ether lipid biosynthesis genes, we obtained a viable E. coli strain of which the membranes contain archaeal lipids with the expected stereochemistry. It has been found that the archaeal lipid biosynthesis enzymes are relatively promiscuous with respect to their glycerol phosphate backbone and that E. coli has the unexpected potential to generate glycerol-1-phosphate. The unprecedented level of 20–30% archaeal lipids in a bacterial cell has allowed for analyzing the effect on the mixed-membrane cell’s phenotype. Interestingly, growth rates are unchanged, whereas the robustness of cells with a hybrid heterochiral membrane appeared slightly increased. The implications of these findings for evolutionary scenarios are discussed.