Membrane lipids from gut microbiome-associated bacteria as structural and signalling molecules

<jats:p>Bacteria produce an array of diverse, dynamic and often complex lipid structures, some of which function beyond their typical role in membrane structure. The model organism, <jats:italic> <jats:named-content content-type="species"> <jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://doi.org/10.1601/nm.3093" xlink:type="simple">E. coli</jats:ext-link> </jats:named-content> </jats:italic>, has three major membrane lipids, which are glycerophosphoglycerol (phosphatidylglycerol), glycerophosphoethanolamine (phosphatidylethanolamine) and cardiolipin. However, it is now appreciated that some bacteria have the capacity to synthesize a range of lipids, including glycerophosphocholines, glycerophosphoinositols, ‘phosphorous-free’ <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>-acyl amines, sphingolipids and plasmalogens. In recent years, some of these bacterial lipids have emerged as influential contributors to the microbe–host molecular dialogue. This review outlines our current knowledge of bacterial lipid diversity, with a focus on the membrane lipids of microbiome-associated bacteria that have documented roles as signalling molecules.</jats:p>