Polymorphic Regulation of Outer Membrane Lipid A Composition.
The importance of the polymorphic-phase behavior of lipid A structural variations in determining their endotoxic activities has been recognized previously, but any potential role for lipid A polymorphism in controlling outer membrane structure and function has been largely ignored until now. In a recent article in mBio [7(5):e01532-16, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01532-16], Katherine E. Bonnington and Meta J. Kuehn of Duke University's Department of Biochemistry make a compelling case for considering how the molecular shapes of the various lipid A structural subtypes found in the outer membrane contribute to the process of outer membrane vesicle (OMV) formation.
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada bishopr@mcmaster.ca.
Russell E
RE
Bishop
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001692:Biological Transport; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008050:Lipid A / Q000032:analysis*; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000032:analysis
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D008050:Lipid A; D008563:Membrane Lipids