A temperature-sensitive metabolic valve and a transcriptional feedback loop drive rapid homeoviscous adaptation in Escherichia coli

Abstract All free-living microorganisms homeostatically maintain the fluidity of their membranes by adapting lipid composition to environmental temperatures. Here, we quantify enzymes and metabolic intermediates of the Escherichia coli fatty acid and phospholipid synthesis pathways, to describe how...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Loles Hoogerland, Stefan Pieter Hendrik van den Berg, Yixing Suo, Yuta W. Moriuchi, Adja Zoumaro-Djayoon, Esther Geurken, Flora Yang, Frank Bruggeman, Michael D. Burkart, Gregory Bokinsky
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-10-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53677-5
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850179032663982080
author Loles Hoogerland
Stefan Pieter Hendrik van den Berg
Yixing Suo
Yuta W. Moriuchi
Adja Zoumaro-Djayoon
Esther Geurken
Flora Yang
Frank Bruggeman
Michael D. Burkart
Gregory Bokinsky
author_facet Loles Hoogerland
Stefan Pieter Hendrik van den Berg
Yixing Suo
Yuta W. Moriuchi
Adja Zoumaro-Djayoon
Esther Geurken
Flora Yang
Frank Bruggeman
Michael D. Burkart
Gregory Bokinsky
author_sort Loles Hoogerland
collection DOAJ
description Abstract All free-living microorganisms homeostatically maintain the fluidity of their membranes by adapting lipid composition to environmental temperatures. Here, we quantify enzymes and metabolic intermediates of the Escherichia coli fatty acid and phospholipid synthesis pathways, to describe how this organism measures temperature and restores optimal membrane fluidity within a single generation after a temperature shock. A first element of this regulatory system is a temperature-sensitive metabolic valve that allocates flux between the saturated and unsaturated fatty acid synthesis pathways via the branchpoint enzymes FabI and FabB. A second element is a transcription-based negative feedback loop that counteracts the temperature-sensitive valve. The combination of these elements accelerates membrane adaptation by causing a transient overshoot in the synthesis of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids following temperature shocks. This strategy is comparable to increasing the temperature of a water bath by adding water that is excessively hot rather than adding water at the desired temperature. These properties are captured in a mathematical model, which we use to show how hard-wired parameters calibrate the system to generate membrane compositions that maintain constant fluidity across temperatures. We hypothesize that core features of the E. coli system will prove to be ubiquitous features of homeoviscous adaptation systems.
format Article
id doaj-art-e815da0745bf4c279554f228a83237fd
institution OA Journals
issn 2041-1723
language English
publishDate 2024-10-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Nature Communications
spelling doaj-art-e815da0745bf4c279554f228a83237fd2025-08-20T02:18:35ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-10-0115111310.1038/s41467-024-53677-5A temperature-sensitive metabolic valve and a transcriptional feedback loop drive rapid homeoviscous adaptation in Escherichia coliLoles Hoogerland0Stefan Pieter Hendrik van den Berg1Yixing Suo2Yuta W. Moriuchi3Adja Zoumaro-Djayoon4Esther Geurken5Flora Yang6Frank Bruggeman7Michael D. Burkart8Gregory Bokinsky9Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of TechnologyDepartment of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of TechnologyDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of TechnologyDepartment of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of TechnologyDepartment of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of TechnologySystems Biology Lab, AIMMS/ALIFE, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of CaliforniaDepartment of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of TechnologyAbstract All free-living microorganisms homeostatically maintain the fluidity of their membranes by adapting lipid composition to environmental temperatures. Here, we quantify enzymes and metabolic intermediates of the Escherichia coli fatty acid and phospholipid synthesis pathways, to describe how this organism measures temperature and restores optimal membrane fluidity within a single generation after a temperature shock. A first element of this regulatory system is a temperature-sensitive metabolic valve that allocates flux between the saturated and unsaturated fatty acid synthesis pathways via the branchpoint enzymes FabI and FabB. A second element is a transcription-based negative feedback loop that counteracts the temperature-sensitive valve. The combination of these elements accelerates membrane adaptation by causing a transient overshoot in the synthesis of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids following temperature shocks. This strategy is comparable to increasing the temperature of a water bath by adding water that is excessively hot rather than adding water at the desired temperature. These properties are captured in a mathematical model, which we use to show how hard-wired parameters calibrate the system to generate membrane compositions that maintain constant fluidity across temperatures. We hypothesize that core features of the E. coli system will prove to be ubiquitous features of homeoviscous adaptation systems.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53677-5
spellingShingle Loles Hoogerland
Stefan Pieter Hendrik van den Berg
Yixing Suo
Yuta W. Moriuchi
Adja Zoumaro-Djayoon
Esther Geurken
Flora Yang
Frank Bruggeman
Michael D. Burkart
Gregory Bokinsky
A temperature-sensitive metabolic valve and a transcriptional feedback loop drive rapid homeoviscous adaptation in Escherichia coli
Nature Communications
title A temperature-sensitive metabolic valve and a transcriptional feedback loop drive rapid homeoviscous adaptation in Escherichia coli
title_full A temperature-sensitive metabolic valve and a transcriptional feedback loop drive rapid homeoviscous adaptation in Escherichia coli
title_fullStr A temperature-sensitive metabolic valve and a transcriptional feedback loop drive rapid homeoviscous adaptation in Escherichia coli
title_full_unstemmed A temperature-sensitive metabolic valve and a transcriptional feedback loop drive rapid homeoviscous adaptation in Escherichia coli
title_short A temperature-sensitive metabolic valve and a transcriptional feedback loop drive rapid homeoviscous adaptation in Escherichia coli
title_sort temperature sensitive metabolic valve and a transcriptional feedback loop drive rapid homeoviscous adaptation in escherichia coli
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53677-5
work_keys_str_mv AT loleshoogerland atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT stefanpieterhendrikvandenberg atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT yixingsuo atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT yutawmoriuchi atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT adjazoumarodjayoon atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT esthergeurken atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT florayang atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT frankbruggeman atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT michaeldburkart atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT gregorybokinsky atemperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT loleshoogerland temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT stefanpieterhendrikvandenberg temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT yixingsuo temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT yutawmoriuchi temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT adjazoumarodjayoon temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT esthergeurken temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT florayang temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT frankbruggeman temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT michaeldburkart temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli
AT gregorybokinsky temperaturesensitivemetabolicvalveandatranscriptionalfeedbackloopdriverapidhomeoviscousadaptationinescherichiacoli