This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kikuchi, S.
Right arrow Articles by Matsumoto, K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kikuchi, S.
Right arrow Articles by Matsumoto, K.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, January 2000, p. 371-376, Vol. 182, No. 2
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Viability of an Escherichia coli pgsA Null Mutant Lacking Detectable Phosphatidylglycerol and Cardiolipin

Shin Kikuchi, Isao Shibuya, and Kouji Matsumoto*

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-ohkubo, Urawa, Saitama 338-8570, Japan

Received 3 August 1999/Accepted 19 October 1999

Phosphatidylglycerol, the most abundant acidic phospholipid in Escherichia coli, has been considered to play specific roles in various cellular processes and is believed to be essential for cell viability. It is functionally replaced in some cases by cardiolipin, another abundant acidic phospholipid derived from phosphatidylglycerol. However, we now show that a null pgsA mutant is viable, if the major outer membrane lipoprotein is deficient. The pgsA gene normally encodes phosphatidylglycerophosphate synthase that catalyzes the committed step in the biosynthesis of these acidic phospholipids. In the mutant, the activity of this enzyme and both phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin were not detected (less than 0.01% of total phospholipid, both below the detection limit), although phosphatidic acid, an acidic biosynthetic precursor, accumulated (4.0%). Nonetheless, the null mutant grew almost normally in rich media. In low-osmolarity media and minimal media, however, it could not grow. It did not grow at temperatures over 40°C, explaining the previous inability to construct a null pgsA mutant (W. Xia and W. Dowhan, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:783-787, 1995). Phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin are therefore nonessential for cell viability or basic life functions. This notion allows us to formulate a working model that defines the physiological functions of acidic phospholipids in E. coli and explains the suppressing effect of lipoprotein deficiency.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-ohkubo, Urawa, Saitama 338-8570, Japan. Phone: 81-48-858-3406. Fax: 81-48-858-3698. E-mail: koumatsu{at}molbiol.saitama-u.ac.jp.

Journal of Bacteriology, January 2000, p. 371-376, Vol. 182, No. 2
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Mileykovskaya, E., Ryan, A. C., Mo, X., Lin, C.-C., Khalaf, K. I., Dowhan, W., Garrett, T. A. (2009). Phosphatidic Acid and N-Acylphosphatidylethanolamine Form Membrane Domains in Escherichia coli Mutant Lacking Cardiolipin and Phosphatidylglycerol. J. Biol. Chem. 284: 2990-3000 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Onder, O., Turkarslan, S., Sun, D., Daldal, F. (2008). Overproduction or Absence of the Periplasmic Protease DegP Severely Compromises Bacterial Growth in the Absence of the Dithiol: Disulfide Oxidoreductase DsbA. Mol. Cell. Proteomics 7: 875-890 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Aboulwafa, M., Saier, M. H. Jr. (2004). Characterization of Soluble Enzyme II Complexes of the Escherichia coli Phosphotransferase System. J. Bacteriol. 186: 8453-8462 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Shiba, Y., Yokoyama, Y., Aono, Y., Kiuchi, T., Kusaka, J., Matsumoto, K., Hara, H. (2004). Activation of the Rcs Signal Transduction System Is Responsible for the Thermosensitive Growth Defect of an Escherichia coli Mutant Lacking Phosphatidylglycerol and Cardiolipin. J. Bacteriol. 186: 6526-6535 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gil, R., Silva, F. J., Pereto, J., Moya, A. (2004). Determination of the Core of a Minimal Bacterial Gene Set. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 68: 518-537 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kawai, F., Shoda, M., Harashima, R., Sadaie, Y., Hara, H., Matsumoto, K. (2004). Cardiolipin Domains in Bacillus subtilis Marburg Membranes. J. Bacteriol. 186: 1475-1483 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ichihashi, N., Kurokawa, K., Matsuo, M., Kaito, C., Sekimizu, K. (2003). Inhibitory Effects of Basic or Neutral Phospholipid on Acidic Phospholipid-mediated Dissociation of Adenine Nucleotide Bound to DnaA Protein, the Initiator of Chromosomal DNA Replication. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 28778-28786 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Curtis, J., Kim, G., Wehr, N. B., Levine, R. L. (2003). Group B streptococcal phospholipid causes pulmonary hypertension. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100: 5087-5090 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hagio, M., Sakurai, I., Sato, S., Kato, T., Tabata, S., Wada, H. (2002). Phosphatidylglycerol is Essential for the Development of Thylakoid Membranes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell Physiol 43: 1456-1464 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Suzuki, M., Hara, H., Matsumoto, K. (2002). Envelope Disorder of Escherichia coli Cells Lacking Phosphatidylglycerol. J. Bacteriol. 184: 5418-5425 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Karnezis, T., Fisher, H. C., Neumann, G. M., Stone, B. A., Stanisich, V. A. (2002). Cloning and Characterization of the Phosphatidylserine Synthase Gene of Agrobacterium sp. Strain ATCC 31749 and Effect of Its Inactivation on Production of High-Molecular-Mass (1->3)-{beta}-D-Glucan (Curdlan). J. Bacteriol. 184: 4114-4123 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Koppelman, C.-M., Den Blaauwen, T., Duursma, M. C., Heeren, R. M. A., Nanninga, N. (2001). Escherichia coli Minicell Membranes Are Enriched in Cardiolipin. J. Bacteriol. 183: 6144-6147 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sato, N., Hagio, M., Wada, H., Tsuzuki, M. (2000). Requirement of phosphatidylglycerol for photosynthetic function in thylakoid membranes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 10655-10660 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»