Proteus mirabilis, an opportunistic pathogen of the urinary tract, is known for its dimorphism and mobility. A connection of lipid alterations, induced by the rods elongation process, with enhanced pathogenicity of long-form morphotype for the development of urinary tract infections, seems highly probable. Therefore, research on the adjustment in the composition and organization of P. mirabilis lipids forming elongated rods was undertaken. The analyses performed using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry showed that drastic modifications in the morphology of P. mirabilis rods that occur during the swarming process are directly related to deprivation of the long-form cells of PE 33:1 and PG 31:2 and their enrichment with PE 32:1, PE 34:1, PE 34:2, PG 30:2, PG 32:1, and PG 34:1. The analyses conducted by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed negligible effects of the swarming process on fatty acids synthesis. However, the constant proportions between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids confirmed that phenotypic modifications in the P. mirabilis rods induced by motility were independent of the saturation of the phospholipid tails. The method of the Förster resonance energy transfer revealed the influence of the swarming process on the melting of ordered lipid rafts present in the short-form rods, corresponding to the homogeneity of lipid bilayers in the long-form rods of P. mirabilis. Confocal microscope photographs visualized strong Rhod-PE fluorescence of the whole area of swarmer cells, in contrast to weak membrane fluorescence of non-swarmer cells. It suggested an increased permeability of the P. mirabilis bilayers in long-form rods morphologically adapted to the swarming process. These studies clearly demonstrate that swarming motility regulates the lipid composition and organization in P. mirabilis rods.
Keywords: Proteus mirabilis; fatty acids; lipid rafts; phospholipids; rods morphology; swarmer cells.