Lipodisqs for eukaryote lipidomics with retention of viability: Sensitivity and resistance to Leucobacter infection linked to C.elegans cuticle composition. (August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bada Juarez, Juan F.; O'Rourke, Delia; Judge, Peter J.; Liu, Li C.; Hodgkin, Jonathan; Watts, Anthony
• Is Part Of: Chemistry and physics of lipids. Volume 222(2019)
• Page Start: 51
• Page End: 58
• Publication Date: 2019-08
• Subjects: Lipodisq -- SMALP -- SMA -- Lipid nanoparticle -- C. elegans -- agmo-1 -- Lipidomics -- AGMO -- MALDI-MS -- Ether lipid -- Leucobacter -- Verde1 -- Verde2 -- Cuticle -- Lipid -- Styrene-maleic acid polymer -- Detergent-free -- Alkylglycerol monooxygenase -- Bacterial infection; Lipids -- Periodicals; Lipids -- Periodicals; Lipides -- Périodiques; Lipids; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 547.77
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2019.02.005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-3084

Abstract

Highlights: SMA polymer is used extract surface lipids from C. elegans strains without loss of viability. Infection-resistant C. elegans display differences in the lipid composition of the cuticle. Accumulation of ether lipids in the cuticle alters the pattern of bacterial infection in the agmo-1mutant C. elegans strain. Lipodisq nanoparticles (or SMALPs) are a powerful tool for lipodomics studies of pathogen membranes and cuticles. Abstract: Lipodisq™ nanoparticles have been used to extract surface lipids from the cuticle of two strains (wild type, N2 and the bacteria-resistant strain, agmo-1 ) of the C. elegans nematode without loss of viability. The extracted lipids were characterized by thin layer chromatography and MALDI-TOF-MS. The lipid profiles differed between the two strains. The extracted lipids from the bacteria-resistant strain, agmo-1, contained ether-linked (O-alkyl chain) lipids, in contrast to the wild-type strain which contained exclusively ester- linked (O-acyl) lipids. This observation is consistent with the loss of a functional alkylglycerol monooxygenase (AGMO) in the bacterial resistant strain agmo-1 . The presence and abundance of other lipid species also differs between the wild-type N2 and agmo-1 nematodes, suggesting that the agmo-1 mutant strain attempts to compensate for the increase in ether-linked lipids by modulating other lipid-synthesis pathways. Together these differences not only affect the fragility of the cuticle and the buoyancy of the worm in aqueous buffer, but also interactions with surface-adhering bacteria. The much greater chemical stability of O-alkyl, non-hydrolysable linked lipids compared with hydrolysable O-acyl linked lipids, may be the origin of the resistance of the agmo-1 strain to bacterial infection, providing a more resilient cuticle for the nematode. Additionally, we show that lipid extraction with a polymer of styrene and maleic acid (SMA) provides a viable route to lipidomics studies with minimal perturbation of the organism.