Our comprehension of membrane function has predominantly advanced through research on glycerophospholipids, also known as phosphoglycerides, which are glycerol phosphate-based lipids found across all three domains of life. However, in bacteria, a perplexing group of lipids distinct from glycerol phosphate-based ones also exists. These are amino acid-containing lipids that form an amide bond between an amino acid and a fatty acid. Subsequently, a second fatty acid becomes linked, often via the 3-hydroxy group on the first fatty acid. These amide-linked aminolipids have, as of now, been exclusively identified in bacteria. Several hydrophilic head groups have been discovered in these aminolipids including ornithine, glutamine, glycine, lysine, and more recently, a sulfur-containing non-proteinogenic amino acid cysteinolic acid. Here, we aim to review current advances in the genetics, biochemistry and function of these aminolipids as well as giving an ecological perspective. We provide evidence for their potential significance in the ecophysiology of all major microbiomes i.e. gut, soil and aquatic as well as highlighting their important roles in influencing biological interactions.

中文翻译：

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细菌膜和自然环境中的氨基脂质


我们对膜功能的理解主要是通过对甘油磷脂（也称为甘油酯）的研究而取得的进步，甘油磷脂是在生命的所有三个领域中发现的基于磷酸甘油的脂质。然而，在细菌中，也存在一组与基于磷酸甘油的脂质不同的令人困惑的脂质。这些是含氨基酸的脂质，在氨基酸和脂肪酸之间形成酰胺键。随后，第二种脂肪酸通常通过第一种脂肪酸上的 3-羟基连接起来。截至目前，这些酰胺连接的氨基脂质仅在细菌中被鉴定出来。在这些氨基脂质中发现了几种亲水性头部基团，包括鸟氨酸、谷氨酰胺、甘氨酸、赖氨酸，以及最近的一种含硫非蛋白原氨基酸半胱氨酸。在这里，我们旨在回顾这些氨基脂质的遗传学、生物化学和功能的当前进展，并给出生态学观点。我们提供了证据，证明它们在所有主要微生物组（即肠道、土壤和水生）的生态生理学中具有潜在意义，并强调了它们在影响生物相互作用中的重要作用。