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. 1971 Sep;107(3):806–814. doi: 10.1128/jb.107.3.806-814.1971

Microbial Assimilation of Hydrocarbons: Phospholipid Metabolism

R A Makula 1, W R Finnerty 1
PMCID: PMC247004  PMID: 5095290

Abstract

An analysis of the turnover of the major phospholipids of Micrococcus cerificans growing or nongrowing cultures. The turnover rates of 14C-PE and 14C-PE were 61.5% of the total phospholipid, exhibited no significant rate of turnover in either growing or nongrowing cultures. The turnover rates of PE-14C and PE-32P were 3.2% per hr and 1.2% per hr, respectively. Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) exhibited a turnover rate of 11% and 7.7% per hr for 14C and 32P, respectively, indicating an extremely slow metabolism. PG metabolism was examined in greater detail, and the data indicated a preferential 75% incorporation of glycerol-1,3-14C into the unacylated portion of the PG molecule. The turnover of cardiolipin (CL) was extremely slow in growing cells whereas nongrowing cells exhibited a 30% and 36% increase per hr for 14C-Cl and 14C-CL, respectively. Glycerol-1,3-14C was not converted to phospholipid fatty acid carbon; all radioactivity appeared only in the water-soluble backbone of the phospholipids. The kinetics of assimilation of hexadecane-1-14C into cellular lipids is presented. Radioactivity in neutral lipid increased approximately sevenfold over the growth cycle, whereas radioactivity in phospholipid increased 50-fold during the same time period. The incorporation of radioactive fatty acids derived from the direct oxidation of hexadecane-1-14C demonstrated differential kinetics of assimilation into PE, PG, and CL. The results indicated a rapid turnover of phospholipid fatty acids in M. cerificans growing at the expense of hexadecane.

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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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