Abstract
Phospholipid biosynthesis is a vital facet of bacterial physiology that begins with the synthesis of the fatty acids by a soluble type II fatty acid synthase. The bacterial glycerol-phosphate acyltransferases utilize the completed fatty acid chains to form the first membrane phospholipid and thus play a critical role in the regulation of membrane biogenesis. The first bacterial acyltransferase described was PlsB, a glycerol-phosphate acyltransferase. PlsB is a key regulatory point that coordinates membrane phospholipid formation with cell growth and macromolecular synthesis. Phosphatidic acid is then produced by PlsC, a 1-acylglycerol-phosphate acyltransferase. These two acyltransferases use thioesters of either CoA or acyl carrier protein (ACP) as the acyl donors and have homologs that perform the same reactions in higher organisms. However, the most prevalent glycerol-phosphate acyltransferase in the bacterial world is PlsY, which uses a recently discovered acyl-phosphate fatty acid intermediate as an acyl donor. This unique activated fatty acid is formed from the acyl-ACP end products of the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway by PlsX, an acyl-ACP:phosphate transacylase.
Highlights
Phospholipid biosynthesis is a vital facet of bacterial physiology that begins with the synthesis of the fatty acids by a soluble type II fatty acid synthase
Bacterial phospholipid synthesis is a vital facet of bacterial physiology, and the phospholipid head group structures found in the bacterial world come in a truly bewildering variety [1]
Phosphatidic acid is a universal intermediate in the biosynthesis of these membrane glycerophospholipids in eubacteria, and this review focuses on the two acyltransferase steps that are common reactions in all glycerophospholipid biosynthesis in bacteria, the glycerol-phosphate and 1-acylglycerol-phosphate (LPA) acyltransferases
Summary
Phospholipid biosynthesis is a vital facet of bacterial physiology that begins with the synthesis of the fatty acids by a soluble type II fatty acid synthase. This review will cover the two acyltransferase systems involved in bacterial glycerophospholipid synthesis, the origin and utilization of acyl donors by these pathways, and their roles in regulating membrane biogenesis. Modulation of the long-chain acyl-ACP concentration underlies the coordinated regulation of fatty acid, phospholipid, and macromolecular biosynthesis by the glycerol-phosphate acyltransferases (see below).
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