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. 1983 Jul;24(1):5–9. doi: 10.1128/aac.24.1.5

Conversion of phospholipids to free fatty acids in response to acquisition of polymyxin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

F R Champlin, H E Gilleland Jr, R S Conrad
PMCID: PMC185095  PMID: 6312874

Abstract

The readily extractable lipids from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate stepwise adapted to polymyxin resistance were compared with those of the susceptible parent and of a revertant strain which regained susceptibility. Significant qualitative and quantitative lipid alterations accompany the acquisition of resistance. Changes include the appearance of a major unidentified lipid (lipid X) unique to the readily extractable lipids of resistant cells. Comparative studies with parent and revertant strains indicated a significant decrease in the phospholipid content of resistant cells. Thin-layer chromatography of resistant-cell readily extractable lipids demonstrated: (i) the emergence of lipid X (36% of total readily extractable lipids), (ii) a decrease in phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol, and (iii) an increase in diphosphatidylglycerol. Lipid X was purified by preparative silicic acid column chromatography and thin-layer chromatography and characterized by analytical thin-layer chromatography, column adsorption chromatography, and gas-liquid chromatography. Data from this study indicated that lipid X was a mixture of free fatty acids. The fatty acids present in lipid X were qualitatively and quantitatively the same as the fatty acids esterified to the phospholipids in the readily extractable lipids.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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