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Squalenes, phytanes and other isoprenoids as major neutral lipids of methanogenic and thermoacidophilic "archaebacteria".

The neutral lipids of nine species of methanogenic bacteria including five methanobacilli, two methanococci, a methanospirillum, one methanosarcina as well as two thermoacidophilic bacteria, Thermoplasma and Sulfolobus, were analyzed. The major components were C30, C25 and/or C20 acylic isoprenoid hydrocarbons with a continuous range of hydroisoprenoid homologues. The range of acyclic isoprenoids detected were from C14 to C30. Apart from Methanosarcina barkeri, squalene and/or hydrosqualene derivetives were the predominant components in all species studied. The components of Methanosarcina barkeri were a family of C25 homologues. The distribution of the neutral lipid components and their specific variations in relative intensities emphasized the differences between the test organisms while the generic nature of the isoprenoid hydrocarbons demonstrated similarities between the diverse bacteria. The neutral lipid compositions from these bacteria, many of which exist in environmental conditions like those described for the various evolutionary stages of the archean ecology, resemble the isoprenoid distribution isolated from ancient sediments and petroleum. Therefore, these finding may have major implications to biological and biogeochemical evolution.

Cell Wall

Vectorial redox reactions of physiological quinones. I. Requirement of a minimum length of the isoprenoid side chain.

Physiological quinones carrying isoprenoid side chains have been compared with homologues lacking the side chain, for their ability to carry electrons and protons from dithionite to ferricyanide, trapped in liposomes. Six differential observations were made: (1) Plastoquinone and ubiquinones, with a side chain of more than two isoprene units, are by far better mediators than their short-chain homologues. Also other benzoquinones lacking a long side chain are poor catalysts, except dimethyl-methylenedioxy-p-benzoquinone, a highly autooxidizable compound. Tocopherol is a good catalyst. (2) Vitamin K-1 and K-2 are poor mediators compared to vitamin K-3. (3) The reaction catalyzed by quinones carrying long isoprenoid side chains has an about three-fold higher activation energy, irrespective of the catalytic efficiency. (4) The reaction catalyzed by quinones lacking a long side chain follows pseudo first-order kinetics, while the reaction with quinones carrying a long side chain is of apparently higher order. (5) The rate with ubiquinone-1 is increasing pH, while with ubiquinone-9 it is decreasing. (6) The reaction mediated by short-chain quinones seems to be satuarated at lower dithionite concentration. We conclude that isoprenoid quinones are able to translocate electrons and protons in lipid membranes, and that the side chain has a strong impact on the mechanism. This and the relevance of the model reaction for electron and proton transport in photosynthesis and respiration is discussed.

Energy Transfer

Isoprenoid quinones in the classification of coryneform and related bacteria.

Menaquinones were the only isoprenoid quinones found in 85 of the 95 coryneform bacteria examined. Dihydromenaquinones having nine isoprene units were the main components isolated from Corynebacterium bovis, from other glutamic acid-producing strains, and from Arthrobacter globiformis and related species. Dihydromenaquinones with eight isoprene units were found in Brevibacterium linens, the remaining Corynebacterium species and strains probably belonging to the genus Rhodococcus. Tetrahydromenaquinones with eight isoprene units were found in Arthrobacter simplex and Arthrobacter tumescens, and with nine isoprene units in Cellulomonas and Oerskovia. Kurthia and Curtobacterium were characterized by menaquinones with seven and nine isoprene units, respectively, and Microbacterium lacticum and Corynebacterium aquaticum had comparable amounts of menaquinones with 10 and 11 isoprene units. Strains received as Brevibacterium leucinophagum, Corynebacterium autotrophicum, Corynebacterium nephridii, Mycobacterium flavum, Mycoplana rubra and Protaminobacter ruber contained uniquinones as their sole isoprenoid quinones. The isoprenoid quinone data correlate well with major trends in coryneform taxonomy and are of value in the classification of coryneform and related bacteria.

Actinomycetales

The distribution of isoprenoid quinones in streptococci of serological groups D and N.

The isoprenoid quinone contents of streptococci of serological groups D and N were investigated. Streptococcus faecalis, S. faecalis subsp. liquefaciens and S. faecalis subsp. zymogenes strains contained demethylmenaquinones with nine isoprene units as their major isoprenologues. Menaquinones with eight isoprene units predominated in S. faecium subsp. casseliflavus and S. faecium subsp. mobilis whereas menaquinones with nine isoprene units constituted the major components in strains of S. cremoris, S. cremoris subsp. alactosus, S. lactis and S. lactis subsp. diacetylactis. Strains of S. avium, S. bovis, S. durans, S. equinus, S. faecium, S. raffinolactis and S. suis contained neither menaquinones nor ubiquinones. The isoprenoid quinone data correlate well with other kinds of data on these organisms and are of value in the classification of these bacteria.

Enterococcus faecalis

Activation of C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphokinase from Staphylococcus aureus. II. Biophysical studies.

Physicochemical techniques were used to investigate the activation of C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphokinase by synthetic lecithins. Complexes of the enzyme with phospholipids were prepared using a method employing sodium dodecyl sulfate as a protein-solubilizing agent. Circular dichorism and the intrinsic fluorescence of the kinase were used as optical probes of protein conformation with these complexes. No evidence for a major lipid-dependent conformational change in the protein was observed when these complexes were studied under conditions where the lipid mesomorphic transitions occurred. EPR studies of mixtures of synthetic lecithins and the C55-isoprenoid alcohol indicated a correlation between kinase activity and the rotational diffusion rate within the hydrophobic phase. It is concluded that the lipid physical state probably does not affect the enzyme activity by altering the protein conformation but more likely does so by affecting the motion of the molecular participants in the reaction.

Binding Sites

A possible correlation between lipid hydration and lipid activation of the C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphokinase apoprotein.

1. A direct method for determining the binding of triated water to lipids is described. The experimental conditions were practically identical to those previously employed (1974) in the determination of the cofactor activities of a series of oleyl-lipids in reactivation of the C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphokinase apoprotein. 2. Active cofactor lipids (dioleyl lecithin, sodium oleate, 1-monoolein, 1-monomyristin)bound between 2.3 and 5.3 nmol 3H2O per nmol lipid, whereas less than 0.14 nmol 3H2O were bound per nmol of the inactive lipids (1,2- and 1,3-diolein, triolein, oleyl alcohol, methyl oleate, cholesteryl oleate). 3. When exposed to 3H2O vapour, the active lipids adsorbed between 1 and 2 nmol 3H2O per nmol lipid, whereas the inactive lipids adsorbed less than 0.1 nmol 3H2O per nmol lipid. 4. The active lipid cofactor, egg lecithin, bound more than twice as much 3H2O as egg phosphatidylethanolamine which was devoid of cofactor activity in the absence of detergent. 5. Appropriately hydrated lipid polar groups are concluded to be required for an alignment with polar amino acid side chains of the enzyme apoprotein in the formation of a mixed micellar lipoprotein complex. The enzyme reaction might occur at the resulting lipoprotein/water interface.

Apoenzymes

Activation of C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphokinase from Staphylococcus aureus. I. Activation by phospholipids and fatty acids.

The activation of C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphokinase by a variety of lipids has been investigated. A number of amphipathic lipids can serve as effective kinase activators. Both the nature of the polar and nonpolar groups are important, but kinase activation does not depend on any particular chemical structure or charge on the lipid. The structure of those lipids which are most effective, as well as an analysis of their temperature profiles, suggests that bulk physical properties are significant. Lipids which provide a hydrated, loosely packed, highly fluid environment are often effective activators.

Enzyme Activation

Moenomycin: an inhibitor of c55-isoprenoid-alcohol kinase from Staphylococcus aureus.

The effect of a variety of structurally diverse antibiotics on C55-isoprenoid-alcohol kinase (EC 2.7.1.66) from Staphylococcus aureus has been examined. Only moenomycin was found to be inhibitory (Ki = 0.2 mM). Moenocinol, the C25 lipid component of moenomycin, did not serve as a substrate of the kinase reaction and was less inhibitory than the intact antibiotic. It is concluded that the observed inhibition may be due to the structural similarity between C55-isoprenylmonophosphate and the substituted moenocinol moiety of moenomycin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

Activation of C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphokinase from Staphylococcus aureus. III. Activation by detergents.

The activation of kinase by neutral detergents has been examined. Of those detergents tested, only those with short chain and unsaturated chain hydrophobes were successful activators at 25 degrees. In addition to these structural requirements, a dependence upon hydrophilic-lipophilic balance number was observed when mixing hydrophobic and hydrophilic detergents. Most pairs tested showed an optimal hydrophilic-lipophilic balance number for kinase activation in the hydrophobic range of 6 to 9. Thus, there appears to be both a structural and a relative hydrophobic requirement for activation, and hydrophilic-lipophilic balance number may be a measure of the physical properties of the lipid required for activation.

Phosphotransferases

The FIBRILLIN multigene family in tomato, their roles in plastoglobuli structure and metabolism.

Plastoglobuli (PG) are plant lipoprotein compartments, present in plastid organelles. They are involved in the formation and/or storage of lipophilic metabolites. FIBRILLINs (FBNs) are one of the main PG-associated proteins and are particularly abundant in carotenoid-enriched chromoplasts found in ripe fruits and flowers. To address the contribution of different FBNs, independently and in combination, to isoprenoid formation and sequestration, a multiplex gene editing approach was undertaken in tomato. This approach generated a suite of single and high-order fbn mutants that were shown to lack transcripts and respective protein products. The major PG-related FBNs in tomato chosen for this study are SlFBN1, SlFBN2a, SlFBN4 and SlFBN7a. When knocked out independently, functional redundancy was revealed. However, paralog-specific roles were detected regulating specific isoprenoids (e.g. plastochromanol 8) or plastidial esterification capability. In addition, high-order fbn mutants displayed altered isoprenoid chromoplast sequestration patterns, notably with a significant reduction in carotenes (phytoene and phytofluene) in the PG fraction. Proteomic analysis confirmed the absence of PG-core associated proteins, including NAD(P)H-ubiquinone oxidoreductase C1, tocopherol cyclase (VTE1) and phytol esterase (PES1/PYP). Perturbations to the ultrastructure of the plastid were revealed, with aberrant PG formation and morphology predominating in high-order mutants. Global lipidome profiles also highlighted broader changes directly affecting storage and plastid membrane lipids, for example, tri- and diacylglycerides and galactolipid species. Collectively, these results support both structural and metabolic roles of SlFBNs in PGs. The findings expose fundamental aspects of metabolic compartmentalisation in plant cells and the importance of lipoprotein particles for plastid integrity and functionality.

Solanum lycopersicum

Vectorial redox reactions of physiological quinones. II. A study of transient semiquinone formation.

Transient absorption changes during reduction of quinone in liposomes by external dithionite, in the absence and presence of initially trapped ferricyanide, were matched with absorption spectra of semiquinone and quinone in the blue region. Plastoquinone, ubiquinone-9 and phylloquinone, each having an isoprenoid side chain were compared with trimethyl-p-benzoquinone, ubiquinone-9 and menadione, which lack a long side chain. Semiquinone transients could only be observed by our spectroscopic technique during reduction of quinones lacking the chain. If Triton X-100 was added to the liposomes preparation semiquinone transients were also observed with the isoprenoid quinones. This result is consistent with the view that isoprenoid quinones build domains in the membranes, in which the life time of the semiquinone might be decreased by fast disproportionation, and to which dithionite has limited access.

Chemical Phenomena

Multi-omics insights into aroma formation in congou black tea during fermentation.

This study used multi-omics technologies to analyze aroma formation during Congou black tea fermentation. Volatile compounds were analyzed by headspace solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography mass spectrometry using two columns of different polarity. Fermentation increased total volatile normalized peak area fivefold, with alcohols, aldehydes, and acids increasing over sevenfold. 29 differential metabolites were screened, including amino acid derived phenylacetaldehyde, phenylethanol, and 2-methylbutanal; fatty acid derived (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal, hexanal, and 1-hexanol; and isoprenoid derived linalool, geraniol, and beta ionone. Transcriptomic, proteomic, and enzyme analyses revealed that biosynthesis contributed to early accumulation of amino acid and isoprenoid derived aromas, whereas ortho quinone mediated Strecker degradation and free radical induced fatty acid auto oxidation dominated generation of amino and fatty acid derived aromas during middle and late fermentation. In conclusion, aroma formation during fermentation results from biosynthesis and non-enzymatic oxidation, with the latter possibly dominating amino and fatty acid derived aromas.

Fermentation

Diglyceride kinase from Escherichia coli. Purification in organic solvent and some properties of the enzyme.

The diglyceride kinase activity of membranes from Escherichia coli was extracted into acidic butan-1-ol. The enzyme was purified in organic solvent by precipitation at -20 degrees C, chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and repeated chromatography on Sephadex LH-60. The final 1460-fold purified enzyme preparation gave a single protein band upon isoelectric focusing in the presence of Triton X-100 (pI, 4.0) and upon polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecylsulphate. The latter method as well as gel chromatography on Sephadex LH-60 indicated a molecular weight of about 15400. The purified enzyme was devoid of lipid, and it required re-addition of lipid for activity. sn-1,2-Dipalmitate and ceramide were phosphorylated, whereas the C55-isoprenoid alcohol, ficaprenol, did not serve as a substrate under the same conditions. Conversely, the butanol-soluble C55-isoprenoid-alcohol kinase from Staphylococcus aureus did not phosphorylate sn-1,2-dipalmitate.

Cell Membrane