In Vivo and in Vitro Synthesis of Phosphatidylglycerol by an Escherichia coli Cardiolipin Synthase.
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2016-11-25
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Abstract
Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) makes up 5-20% of the phospholipids of Escherichia coli and is essential for growth in wild-type cells. PG is synthesized from the dephosphorylation of its immediate precursor, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate (PGP) whose synthase in E. coli is PgsA. Using genetic, biochemical, and highly sensitive mass spectrometric approaches, we identified an alternative mechanism for PG synthesis in E. coli that is PgsA independent. The reaction of synthesis involves the conversion of phosphatidylethanolamine and glycerol into PG and is catalyzed by ClsB, a phospholipase D-type cardiolipin synthase. This enzymatic reaction is demonstrated herein both in vivo and in vitro as well as by using the purified ClsB protein. When the growth medium was supplemented with glycerol, the expression of E. coli ClsB significantly increased PG and cardiolipin levels, with the growth deficiency of pgsA null strain also being complemented under such conditions. Identification of this alternative mechanism for PG synthesis not only expands our knowledge of bacterial anionic phospholipid biosynthesis, but also sheds light on the biochemical functions of the cls gene redundancy in E. coli and other bacteria. Finally, the PGP-independent PG synthesis in E. coli may also have important implications for the understanding of PG biosynthesis in eukaryotes that remains incomplete.
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Li, Chijun, Brandon K Tan, Jinshi Zhao and Ziqiang Guan (2016). In Vivo and in Vitro Synthesis of Phosphatidylglycerol by an Escherichia coli Cardiolipin Synthase. J Biol Chem, 291(48). pp. 25144–25153. 10.1074/jbc.M116.762070 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13029.
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Scholars@Duke

Ziqiang Guan
We develop and apply mass spectrometry techniques to address biochemical and biomedical questions that are lipid-related. Research projects include:
1) Structural lipidomics
o Develop and apply high resolution tandem mass spectrometry-based lipidomics for the discovery, structural elucidation and functional study of novel lipids.
2) Elucidation of novel pathways/enzymes of lipid biosynthesis and metabolism
o Genetic, biochemical and MS approaches are employed to identify the substrates and pathways involved in lipid biosynthesis and metabolism
3) Identification of lipid biomarkers of genetic diseases and cancers
o Provide molecular insights into the disease mechanisms, as well as to serve as the diagnostic and prognostic tools of diseases.
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