Cyclization of archaeal membrane lipids impacts membrane protein activity and archaellum formation

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Yang, Wei; Feng, Xi; Chen, Huahui; Liman, Geraldy Lie Stefanus; Santangelo, Thomas J.; Zhang, Changyi; Zeng, Zhirui
• 署名单位: Southern University of Science & Technology; Colorado State University System; Colorado State University Fort Collins; University of Illinois System; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-12919
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2423648122
• 发表日期: 2025-05-12
• 关键词: growth-phase; cell motility; sulfolobus; temperature; complex; features; stress; ph; update; SYSTEM

摘要

Enhancement of the cyclization of membrane lipids GDGTs (glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers) is a critical strategy for archaea to adapt to various environmental stresses. However, the physiological function of membrane lipid cyclization remains unclear. Here, we reported that the GDGT ring synthases mutant, deficient in GDGT cyclization, inhibited archaellum formation and reduced cell motility in thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. This inhibition was caused by decreased transcription of the archaellum operon, likely due to cleavage of the C-terminal domains in transmembrane proteins ArnRs, the transcription factors that regulate archaellum operon expression. The transcriptomic and proteomic analysis showed deficiency of GDGT cyclization broadly impacted the expression of membrane associate proteins, including respiratory chain proteins, and decreased cellular ATP concentration. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the correlation between GDGT cyclization and archaellum formation is widespread among (hyper)thermophilic archaea, and this was further verified in the euryarchaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis. Our findings suggested that archaea modify their membrane lipids to profoundly alter cellular appendages and cell physiology to adapt to environmental fluctuations.