biostudies-literatureLeitner DRNIAID NIH HHSLife Sciences Research Foundation (LSRF)Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)HHS | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)e0343324https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11796348biostudies-literatureUnknown16(2)Bacteria have evolved diverse strategies to ensure survival under nutrient-limited conditions, where rapid energy generation is not achievable. Here, we performed a transposon insertion site sequencing loss-of-function screen to identify Vibrio cholerae genes that promote pathogen fitness in stationary phase. We discovered that the maintenance of lipid asymmetry (Mla) pathway, which is crucial for transferring phospholipids from the outer to the inner membrane, is critical for stationary phase fitness. Competition experiments with barcoded and fluorophore labeled wild-type (WT) and mlaE mutant V. cholerae revealed that the Mla pathway promotes re-expansion from 48 h stationary phase cultures. The mutant defect in transitioning out of stationary phamBioThe Mla pathway promotes Vibrio cholerae re-expansion from stationary phase.PMC11796348R37 AI042347AI-042347R01 AI042347Zingl-2024HHMIWaldor MKLeitner DRZingl FGZhang HMorano AAfalseThe Mla pathway promotes Vibrio cholerae re-expansion from stationary phase.Bacteria have evolved diverse strategies to ensure survival under nutrient-limited conditions, where rapid energy generation is not achievable. Here, we performed a transposon insertion site sequencing loss-of-function screen to identify Vibrio cholerae genes that promote pathogen fitness in stationary phase. We discovered that the maintenance of lipid asymmetry (Mla) pathway, which is crucial for transferring phospholipids from the outer to the inner membrane, is critical for stationary phase fitness. Competition experiments with barcoded and fluorophore labeled wild-type (WT) and mlaE mutant V. cholerae revealed that the Mla pathway promotes re-expansion from 48 h stationary phase cultures. The mutant defect in transitioning out of stationary pha2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Feb2025-04-04T02:10:04.072Z2025-04-04T02:10:04.072ZS-EPMC117963483971418410.1128/mbio.03433-24