Incorporation of extracellular fatty acids by a fatty acid kinase-dependent pathway in Staphylococcus aureus.
Acyl-CoA and acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthetases activate exogenous fatty acids for incorporation into phospholipids in Gram-negative bacteria. However, Gram-positive bacteria utilize an acyltransferase pathway for the biogenesis of phosphatidic acid that begins with the acylation of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate by PlsY using an acyl-phosphate (acyl-PO4 ) intermediate. PlsX generates acyl-PO4 from the acyl-ACP end-products of fatty acid synthesis. The plsX gene of Staphylococcus aureus was inactivated and the resulting strain was both a fatty acid auxotroph and required de novo fatty acid synthesis for growth. Exogenous fatty acids were only incorporated into the 1-position and endogenous acyl groups were channeled into the 2-position of the phospholipids in strain PDJ39 (ΔplsX). Extracellular fatty acids were not elongated. Removal of the exogenous fatty acid supplement led to the rapid accumulation of intracellular acyl-ACP and the abrupt cessation of fatty acid synthesis. Extracts from the ΔplsX strain exhibited an ATP-dependent fatty acid kinase activity, and the acyl-PO4 was converted to acyl-ACP when purified PlsX is added. These data reveal the existence of a novel fatty acid kinase pathway for the incorporation of exogenous fatty acids into S. aureus phospholipids.
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Related Subject Headings
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Phosphotransferases
- Microbiology
- Metabolic Networks and Pathways
- Gene Knockout Techniques
- Fatty Acids
- Bacterial Proteins
- 31 Biological sciences
- 11 Medical and Health Sciences
- 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Phosphotransferases
- Microbiology
- Metabolic Networks and Pathways
- Gene Knockout Techniques
- Fatty Acids
- Bacterial Proteins
- 31 Biological sciences
- 11 Medical and Health Sciences
- 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences