Crucial Role for Membrane Fluidity in Proliferation of Primitive Cells

Mercier, Romain; Domı́nguez-Cuevas, Patricia; Errington, Jeff

doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2012.03.008

Cited by 84 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Additionally, the observed growth driven by lipid synthesis resembles a form of biological membrane growth that can be carried out by minimal living organisms. For instance, recent studies have shown that L-form bacteria that lack cell walls and division machinery undergo membrane growth and division when lipid synthesis is allowed to continue (47)(48)(49). Finally, the finding that catalytic membranes can undergo dynamic changes in physical composition in response to changes in environmental conditions resembles the well-known ability of living cell membranes to rapidly adapt their lipid membrane structure in response to external stimuli (50,51).…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 93%

Self-reproducing catalyst drives repeated phospholipid synthesis and membrane growth

Hardy

Yang

Selimkhanov

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

145

150

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cell membranes are dynamic structures found in all living organisms. There have been numerous constructs that model phospholipid membranes. However, unlike natural membranes, these biomimetic systems cannot sustain growth owing to an inability to replenish phospholipid-synthesizing catalysts. Here we report on the design and synthesis of artificial membranes embedded with synthetic, self-reproducing catalysts capable of perpetuating phospholipid bilayer formation. Replacing the complex biochemical pathways used in nature with an autocatalyst that also drives lipid synthesis leads to the continual formation of triazole phospholipids and membrane-bound oligotriazole catalysts from simpler starting materials. In addition to continual phospholipid synthesis and vesicle growth, the synthetic membranes are capable of remodeling their physical composition in response to changes in the environment by preferentially incorporating specific precursors. These results demonstrate that complex membranes capable of indefinite self-synthesis can emerge when supplied with simpler chemical building blocks.membranes | autocatalysis | self-assembly | lipids

show abstract

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 93%

Self-reproducing catalyst drives repeated phospholipid synthesis and membrane growth

Hardy

Yang

Selimkhanov

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

145

150

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We have suggested that these divisions may be affected by an excess production of cell membrane, which could produce invaginations that eventually fuse to divide the cell (19). Recent studies have shown that membrane fluidity plays a crucial role in the division of these L forms and suggested that biophysical processes of the membrane alone might have been sufficient for the division of primitive cells (20,21). The FtsZ-FtsA system greatly increases the efficiency of the process and is able to achieve division in the absence of excess membrane synthesis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Liposome division by a simple bacterial division machinery

Osawa

Erickson

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

188

180

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We previously reconstituted Z rings in tubular multilamellar liposomes with FtsZ-YFP-mts, where mts is a membrane-targeting amphiphilic helix. These reconstituted Z rings generated a constriction force but did not divide the thick-walled liposomes. Here we developed a unique system to observe Z rings in unilamellar liposomes. FtsZ-YFP-mts incorporated inside large, unilamellar liposomes formed patches that produced concave distortions when viewed at the equator of the liposome. When viewed en face at the top of the liposome, many of the patches were seen to be small Z rings, which still maintained the concave depressions. We also succeeded in reconstituting the more natural, two-protein system, with FtsA and FtsZ-YFP (having the FtsA-binding peptide instead of the mts). Unilamellar liposomes incorporating FtsA and FtsZ-YFP showed a variety of distributions, including foci and linear arrays. A small fraction of liposomes had obvious Z rings. These Z rings could constrict the liposomes and in some cases appeared to complete the division, leaving a clear septum between the two daughter liposomes. Because complete liposome divisions were not seen with FtsZ-mts, FtsA may be critical for the final membrane scission event. We demonstrate that reconstituted cell division machinery apparently divides the liposome in vitro.acterial cytokinesis is generated by a complex ring-shaped structure comprising more than a dozen proteins. It is called a Z ring because the primary cytoskeletal framework is made by filamentous temperature-sensitive Z (FtsZ). FtsZ has a globular core homologous to tubulin, and at its C terminus there is an ∼50 amino acid unstructured peptide linker, followed by an ∼17 amino acid peptide that binds FtsA (see ref.

show abstract

“…Third, a very recent report on B. subtilis L-forms-based on the same strain that was used in this study-showed that a number of membrane lipids and their precursors, such as cardiolipin, phosphatidylethanolamine, unsaturated fatty acids, and lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol, are not essential for proliferation of cells in the L-form state. On the other hand, membrane fluidity determined by the incorporation of branched-chain fatty acids does play a crucial role in this process (42).…”

Section: Envelope Stress Response Of Bacillus Subtilis L-formsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cell Envelope Stress Response in Cell Wall-Deficient L-Forms of Bacillus subtilis

Wolf

Domı́nguez-Cuevas

Daniel

et al. 2012

Antimicrob Agents Chemother

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

b L-forms are cell wall-deficient bacteria that can grow and proliferate in osmotically stabilizing media. Recently, a strain of the Gram-positive model bacterium Bacillus subtilis was constructed that allowed controlled switching between rod-shaped wildtype cells and corresponding L-forms. Both states can be stably maintained under suitable culture conditions. Because of the absence of a cell wall, L-forms are known to be insensitive to ␤-lactam antibiotics, but reports on the susceptibility of L-forms to other antibiotics that interfere with membrane-anchored steps of cell wall biosynthesis are sparse, conflicting, and strongly influenced by strain background and method of L-form generation. Here we investigated the response of B. subtilis to the presence of cell envelope antibiotics, with regard to both antibiotic resistance and the induction of the known LiaRS-and BceRS-dependent cell envelope stress biosensors. Our results show that B. subtilis L-forms are resistant to antibiotics that interfere with the bactoprenol cycle, such as bacitracin, vancomycin, and mersacidin, but are hypersensitive to nisin and daptomycin, which both affect membrane integrity. Moreover, we established a lacZ-based reporter gene assay for L-forms and provide evidence that LiaRS senses its inducers indirectly (damage sensing), while the Bce module detects its inducers directly (drug sensing).

show abstract

Crucial Role for Membrane Fluidity in Proliferation of Primitive Cells

Cited by 84 publications

References 38 publications

Self-reproducing catalyst drives repeated phospholipid synthesis and membrane growth

Self-reproducing catalyst drives repeated phospholipid synthesis and membrane growth

Liposome division by a simple bacterial division machinery

Cell Envelope Stress Response in Cell Wall-Deficient L-Forms of Bacillus subtilis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About