biostudies-literatureGuillonneau REuropean Research CouncilEC | ERC | HORIZON EUROPE European Research Councile2203057119https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9457565biostudies-literatureUnknown119(36)Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient limiting bacterial growth and primary production in the oceans. Unsurprisingly, marine microbes have evolved sophisticated strategies to adapt to P limitation, one of which involves the remodeling of membrane lipids by replacing phospholipids with non-P-containing surrogate lipids. This strategy is adopted by both cosmopolitan marine phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria and serves to reduce the cellular P quota. However, little, if anything, is known of the biological consequences of lipid remodeling. Here, using the marine bacterium <i>Phaeobacter</i> sp. MED193 and the ciliate <i>Uronema marinum</i> as a model, we sought to assess the effect of remodeling on bacteria-protist interactions. We discovered an important trade-off between either escape fromProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaTrade-offs of lipid remodeling in a marine predator-prey interaction in response to phosphorus limitation.PMC9457565726116Zhang YZScanlan DJWang PTeng ZJGuillonneau RChen YMurphy ARJfalseTrade-offs of lipid remodeling in a marine predator-prey interaction in response to phosphorus limitation.Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient limiting bacterial growth and primary production in the oceans. Unsurprisingly, marine microbes have evolved sophisticated strategies to adapt to P limitation, one of which involves the remodeling of membrane lipids by replacing phospholipids with non-P-containing surrogate lipids. This strategy is adopted by both cosmopolitan marine phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria and serves to reduce the cellular P quota. However, little, if anything, is known of the biological consequences of lipid remodeling. Here, using the marine bacterium <i>Phaeobacter</i> sp. MED193 and the ciliate <i>Uronema marinum</i> as a model, we sought to assess the effect of remodeling on bacteria-protist interactions. We discovered an important trade-off between either escape from2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Sep2025-04-18T22:42:52.754Z2025-04-07T10:28:14.015ZS-EPMC94575653603737510.1073/pnas.2203057119