Dynamic Membrane Lipid Changes in Physcomitrium patens Reveal Developmental and Environmental Adaptations

Membrane lipid composition is critical for an organism's growth, adaptation, and functionality. Mosses, as early non-vascular land colonizers, show significant adaptations and changes, but their dynamic membrane lipid alterations remain unexplored. Here, we investigated the temporal changes in membrane lipid composition of the moss Physcomitrium patens during five developmental stages and analyzed the acyl content and composition of the lipids. We observed a gradual decrease in total lipid content from the filamentous protonema stage to the reproductive sporophytes. Notably, we found significant levels of very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly arachidonic acid (C20:4), which are not reported in vascular plants and may aid mosses in cold and abiotic stress adaptation. During vegetative stages, we noted high levels of galactolipids, especially monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, associated with chloroplast biogenesis. In contrast, sporophytes displayed reduced galactolipids and elevated phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidic acid, which are linked to membrane integrity and environmental stress protection. Additionally, we observed a gradual decline in the average double bond index across all lipid classes from the protonema stage to the gametophyte stage. Overall, our findings highlight the dynamic nature of membrane lipid composition during moss development, which might contribute to its adaptation to diverse growth conditions, reproductive processes, and environmental challenges.