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Types and origins of bacterial membrane vesicles

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 17, pages 13–24 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Most bacteria release membrane vesicles (MVs) that contain specific cargo molecules and have diverse functions, including the transport of virulence factors, DNA transfer, interception of bacteriophages, antibiotics and eukaryotic host defence factors, cell detoxification and bacterial communication. MVs not only are abundant in nature but also show great promise for applications in biomedicine and nanotechnology. MVs were first discovered to originate from controlled blebbing of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and are therefore often called outer-membrane vesicles (OMVs). However, recent work has shown that Gram-positive bacteria can produce MVs, that different types of MVs besides OMVs exist and that, in addition to membrane blebbing, MVs can also be formed by endolysin-triggered cell lysis. In this Review, we provide an overview of the structures and compositions of the various vesicle types and discuss novel formation routes, which may lead to distinct vesicle types that serve particular functions.

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Fig. 1: Types of vesicles.
Fig. 2: Different routes lead to the formation of distinct membrane vesicle types.
Fig. 3: Different triggers that induce membrane vesicle formation.
Fig. 4: Roles of membrane vesicles during phage infection.

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Acknowledgements

M.T. was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) (project 16H06189), N.N. was supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) (ERATO project JPMJER1502), and L.E. was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) (Project 31003A_169307). The authors acknowledge K. Agnoli-Antkowiak for valuable comments on the manuscript.

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Nature Reviews Microbiology thanks S. Schild, S. N. Wai and the other anonymous reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

    Masanori Toyofuku & Nobuhiko Nomura

  2. Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Leo Eberl

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  1. Masanori Toyofuku
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M.T. and L.E. researched data for the article and contributed substantially to discussion of the content. All authors wrote the article and reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission.

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Glossary

Endolysins

Hydrolytic enzymes that are produced by bacteriophages to degrade the cell wall of the bacterial host during the final stage of the lytic cycle.

Autolysins

Peptidoglycan hydrolases that are produced by bacteria for peptidoglycan turnover and to complete cell division by separating the daughter cell from the mother cell.

Intercalation

The reversible insertion of molecules into materials with layered structures such as the cellular membrane.

Turgor pressure

Turgor is the force that pushes the cytoplasmic membrane against the cell wall as a result of the osmotic flow of water.

Quorum sensing

A cell-to-cell communication mechanism in bacteria by which gene regulation is controlled in a population-dependent manner through the production and perception of signal molecules.

B-band LPS

Pseudomonas aeruginosa synthesizes two types of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) referred to as A-band and B-band LPS. The A-band LPS contains a conserved O-polysaccharide region composed of d-rhamnose (homopolymer), whereas the B-band O-antigen (heteropolymer) structure varies among different serotypes.

Bacteriocins

Protein or peptide toxins produced by bacteria to kill or inhibit growth of bacteria that are closely related to the producer.

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Toyofuku, M., Nomura, N. & Eberl, L. Types and origins of bacterial membrane vesicles. Nat Rev Microbiol 17, 13–24 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-018-0112-2

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