PreprintCited by 41Lipid Membrane Structure and BehaviorOrigins and Evolution of LifeLipid metabolism and biosynthesis

A tuneable minimal cell membrane reveals that two lipid species suffice for life

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Justice, Isaac, Kiesel, Petra, Safronova, Nataliya, von Appen, Alexander, Saenz, James P.·2023·Nature Communications

Preprint — published as 10.1038/s41467-024-53975-y · Paper page

Abstract

All cells are encapsulated by a lipid membrane which facilitates the interaction between life and its environment. How life exploits the diverse mixtures of lipids that dictate membrane property and function has been experimentally challenging to address. We introduce an approach to tune and minimize lipidomes in Mycoplasma mycoides and the Minimal Cell (JCVI-Syn3A) revealing that a 2-component lipidome can support life. Systematically reintroducing phospholipid features demonstrated that acyl chain diversity is more critical for growth than head group diversity. By tuning lipid chirality, we explored the lipid divide between Archaea and the rest of life, showing that ancestral lipidomes could have been heterochiral. Our approach offers a tunable minimal membrane system to explore the fundamental lipidomic requirements for life, thereby extending the concept of minimal life from the genome to the lipidome.

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Authors
Justice, I., Kiesel, P., Safronova, N., von Appen, A., & Saenz, J. P.
Affiliations
  • Center for Molecular Bioengineering (DE)
  • Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (DE)
Venue
Nature Communications
Publisher
openRxiv
Published
2023-10-24
Volume
15
Issue
1
Pages
9679-9679
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4404164400
Cited by
41
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1
FWCI
5.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Volkswagen Foundation (#93090)
  • Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (03Z22EN12)
  • Technische Universität Dresden
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Lipid metabolism and biosynthesis
Keywords
minimal cell, lipidome, cell membrane composition, Mycoplasma mycoides, phospholipids, lipid head groups, heterochirality, archaea, origin of life

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