The Outer Surface Lipoprotein VolA Mediates Utilization of Exogenous Lipids by Vibrio cholerae

Abstract

Our understanding of how bacteria utilize environmental lipid sources has been limited to lipids such as fatty acids and cholesterol. This narrow scope may be attributed to both the intricate nature of lipid uptake mechanisms and the diversity of lipid substrates encountered within an ecological niche. By examining the ability of the pathogen Vibrio cholerae to utilize exogenous lipids, we uncovered a surface-exposed lipoprotein (VolA) that is required for processing the prevalent host lipid lysophosphatidylcholine. VolA functions as a lipase liberating a fatty acid from exogenous lysophospholipids. The freed fatty acid is then transported into the cell, serving as a carbon source, or shunted into phospholipid synthesis for membrane assembly. A limited number of surface-exposed lipoproteins have been found in Gram-negative organisms, and few have enzymatic function. This work highlights the ability of bacteria to exploit exogenous lipids for both maintenance of the membrane and carbon source acquisition.