Δlpp Mutant E. coli Reduces Lipid Content in Caenorhabditis elegans via Phosphatidylglycerol-Mediated Inhibition of Fatty Acid Biosynthesis

Our results demonstrated that the Δlpp mutant significantly reduced fat content across three C. elegans strains. Transcriptome analysis revealed substantial alterations in the expression of genes associated with fatty acid metabolism, particularly those involved in fatty acid biosynthesis, which were notably downregulated.

Lipidomic profiling confirmed an upregulation of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and indicated its potential involvement in regulating fatty acid biosynthesis. Importantly, PG supplementation significantly decreased lipid accumulation in C. elegans. Furthermore, we identified and validated four downregulated genes whose reduced expression was associated with lower lipid levels.