Transcriptome analysis of hopanoid deficient mutant of Rhodopseuodomonas palustris TIE-1

All three domains of life have an ordered plasma membrane which is pivotal in the selective fitness of primitive life. Like cholesterol in eukaryotes, hopanoids are important in bacteria to modulate membrane order. Hopanoids are pentacyclic triterpenoid lipids biosynthesised in many eubacteria, few ferns and lichens. Hopanoid modulates outer membrane order and hopanoid deficiency results in the weakened structural integrity of the membrane which may in turn affect the other structures within or spanning the cell envelope and contributing to various membrane functions. Hence, to decipher the role of hopanoid, genome-wide transcriptome of wild-type and Δshc mutant of Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 was studied which indicated 299 genes were upregulated and 306 genes were downregulated in hopanoid deficient mutant, representing ∼11.5% of the genome. Thirty-eight genes involved in chemotaxis, response to stimuli and signal transduction were differentially regulated and impaired motility in hopanoid deficient mutant showed that hopanoid plays a crucial role in chemotaxis. The docking study demonstrated that diguanylate cyclase which catalyses the synthesis of secondary messenger exhibited the capability to interact with hopanoids and might be confederating in chemotaxis and signal transduction. Seventy-four genes involved in membrane transport were differentially expressed and cell assays also explicit that the multidrug transport is compromised in Δshc mutant. Membrane transport is reliant on hopanoids which may explain the basis for previous observations linking hopanoids to antibiotic resistance. Disturbing the membrane order by targeting lipid synthesis can be a possible novel approach in developing new antimicrobials and hopanoid biosynthesis could be a potential target.