Magnesium modulates phospholipid metabolism to promote bacterial phenotypic resistance to antibiotics

Non-inheritable antibiotic or phenotypic resistance ensures bacterial survival during antibiotic treatment. However, exogenous factors promoting phenotypic resistance are poorly defined. Here, we demonstrate that Vibrio alginolyticus are recalcitrant to killing by a broad spectrum of antibiotics under high magnesium. Functional metabolomics demonstrated that magnesium modulates fatty acid biosynthesis by increasing saturated fatty acid biosynthesis while decreasing unsaturated fatty acid production. Exogenous supplementation of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids increased and decreased bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics, respectively, confirming the role of fatty acids in antibiotic resistance. Functional lipidomics revealed that glycerophospholipid metabolism is the major metabolic pathway remodeled by magnesium, where phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis is reduced and phosphatidylglycerol production is increased. This process alters membrane composition, increasing membrane polarization, and decreasing permeability and fluidity, thereby reducing antibiotic uptake by V. alginolyticus. These findings suggest the presence of a previously unrecognized metabolic mechanism by which bacteria escape antibiotic killing through the use of an environmental factor.