Thermococcus kodakarensis modulates its polar membrane lipids and elemental composition according to growth stage and phosphate availability

Abstract

We observed significant changes in the elemental and intact polar lipid (IPL) composition of the archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis (KOD1) in response to growth stage and phosphorus supply. Reducing the amount of organic supplements and phosphate in growth media resulted in significant decreases in cell size and cellular quotas of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), which coincided with significant increases in cellular IPL quota and IPLs comprising multiple P atoms and hexose moieties. Relatively more cellular P was stored as IPLs in P-limited cells (2–8%) compared to control cells (<0.8%). We also identified a specific IPL biomarker containing a phosphatidyl-N-acetylhexoseamine headgroup that was relatively enriched during rapid cell division. These observations serve as empirical evidence of IPL adaptations in Archaea that will help to interpret the distribution of these biomarkers in natural systems. The reported cell quotas of C, N, and P represent the first such data for a specific archaeon and suggest that thermophiles are C-rich compared to the cell carbon-to-volume relationship reported for planktonic bacteria.

Mono‐, di‐ and trimethylated homologues of isoprenoid tetraether lipid cores in archaea and environmental samples: mass spectrometric identification and significance

“…In addition to M. thermautotrophicus (this article and the study of Yoshinaga et al ), methylated GDGTs are produced by several other methanogenic Euryarchaeota , including the (hyper)thermophiles M. marburgensis and Methanosaeta thermophila , and the mesophiles Methanobrevibacter smithii and Methanosphaera stadtmanae . Less closely affiliated hyperthermophiles Thermococcus kodakarensis and Methanopyrus kandleri produce methylated GDGTs or GMGTs, respectively . Unidentified lipid cores from the thermoacidophile Thermoplasma acidophilum (with [M+H] + at m/z 1308, 1306 and 1304) are consistent with GDGT‐4b, ‐5b and ‐6b .…”

“…1,2,3‐butanetriol), 1‐methoxyglycerol groups or homoisoprenoids (e.g. C 41 homobiphytanes; HBPs) . The latter are exemplified by C 87 lipid GDGT‐0b, shown by NMR analysis to contain acyclic biphytane (BP0) and 13‐methylbiphytane (HBP0) chains (Fig.…”

Chemotaxonomic characterisation of the thaumarchaeal lipidome

“…Simpson Diversity indices (D) were calculated after Simpson () using relative abundances of core lipid‐headgroup combinations for each strain (Meador et al ., ): …”

Thermococcus kodakarensis : the key to affordable biohydrogen production

“…The variation observed in tetraether lipids involves the incorporation of one or more pentacycles, the incorporation of a single hexamer, the addition of methyl groups, or the incorporation of bridges between the isoprenoids [108,[546][547][548]. Tetraether lipids are believed to contribute considerably to an increased stability, permeability and resistance of the membrane [540,549].…”

“…This discrepancy might, for example, be explained by the possibility that the diether accumulation upon terbinafine exposure is the result of growth retention by toxicity rather than the selective inhibition of an enzyme. Especially, as it has been demonstrated several times that the ratio of dietherto-tetraether is highly dependent on growth phase as well [546,547,559,560].…”