Emerging roles for anionic non-bilayer phospholipids in fortifying the outer membrane permeability barrier.

Lately, researchers have been actively investigating Escherichia coli lptD mutants, which exhibit reduced transport of lipopolysaccharide to the cell surface. In this issue of the Journal of Bacteriology, Sutterlin et al. (H. A. Sutterlin, S. Zhang, and T. J. Silhavy, J. Bacteriol. 196:3214-3220, 2014) now reveal an important functional role for phosphatidic acid in fortifying the outer membrane permeability barrier in certain lptD mutant backgrounds. These findings come on the heels of the first reports of two LptD crystal structures, which now provide a structural framework for interpreting lptD genetics.