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. 1971 Apr;106(1):25–30. doi: 10.1128/jb.106.1.25-30.1971

Effect of Temperature on the Fatty Acid Composition of Thermus aquaticus

Paul H Ray 1,2, David C White 1,2, Thomas D Brock 1,2
PMCID: PMC248639  PMID: 5551637

Abstract

Thermus aquaticus contains four major fatty acids, iso-C15 (28%), iso-C16 (9%), normal-C16 (13%), and iso-C17 (48%), when grown at 70 C, as determined by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Small amounts of iso-C12, normal-C12:1, iso-C13, normal-C14, iso-C14, and normal-C15:1 were also detected. A change in growth temperature (50 to 75 C at 5-C intervals) affects a shift in the proportions of some of the fatty acids. The proportions of the monoenoic and branched-C17 fatty acids decreased and the proportions of the higher-melting iso-C16 and normal-C16 fatty acids increased. Cells grown at 75 C contained 70% more total fatty acids than cells grown at 50 C. The largest increases, in absolute amounts, were in the content of iso-C16 and normal-C16 fatty acids, with only a 1.6-fold increase in the major iso-C15 and iso-C17 fatty acids. There was a 2.5-fold decrease in normal-C15:1 and at least a 24-fold decrease in anteiso-C17, which is present at 50 and 55 C but not at higher temperatures. There was no difference in proportion or amount of fatty acids between exponential and stationary-phase cells grown at 70 C. When cells were grown on glutamate instead of yeast-extract and tryptone at 70 C, the total fatty acid content remained constant, but there was an increase in the proportions of iso-C16 and normal-C16 fatty acids concomitant with a decrease in the proportions of the iso-C15 and iso-C17 fatty acids.

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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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