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. 1971 Sep;107(3):790–797. doi: 10.1128/jb.107.3.790-797.1971

Phospholipid Metabolism in the Absence of Net Phospholipid Synthesis in a Glycerol-Requiring Mutant of Bacillus subtilis

Thomas T Lillich 1, David C White 1
PMCID: PMC247002  PMID: 4999416

Abstract

A glycerol-requiring auxotroph of Bacillus subtilis showed no net synthesis of phospholipid when deprived of glycerol. Although there was no net synthesis of phospholipid, we found that: (i) fatty acids and 32P were slowly incorporated into phospholipid; (ii) in pulse-chase experiments, both 32P and 14C in the glycerol portion of the phospholipids were lost from phosphatidlyglycerol (PG) and lysylphosphatidylglycerol and accumulated in cardiolipin (CL); (iii) the proportions of the phospholipids in the membrane changed with a loss of PG and an accumulation of CL. The addition of glycerol to the glycerol-deprived cells resulted in a rapid incorporation of glycerol and restoration to the predeprivation metabolism and PG to CL ratio.

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Selected References

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