Abstract
The levels of fatty acids and their distribution were determined in cultures of Bacillus megaterium during growth, sporulation, and germination. Branched-chain pentadecanoates (br-C15) were the principal fatty acids of log-phase cells. Synthesis of branched-chain tetradecanoates (br-C14) during sporulation increased the relative proportion of these branched fatty acids in sporulating cells and in mature spores. The log-phase distribution was reestablished during outgrowth of the spore. The ratio of br-C15 to br-C14 could be radically altered by addition of their respective amino acid precursors, isoleucine and valine, without seriously affecting the sporulation process. The fatty acid composition of each of the purified phospholipids from log-phase cells was the same, indicating that each phospholipid receives a portion of the fatty acid pool present in the cell at the time of its synthesis. Similarly, the fatty acids of each of the spore phospholipids resembled those of the spore extract. Phospholipids accounted for two-thirds of the fatty acids of the log-phase but only one-third of those of the spore.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bertsch L. L., Bonsen P. P., Kornberg A. Biochemical studies of bacterial sporulation and germination. XIV. Phospholipids in Bacillus megaterium. J Bacteriol. 1969 Apr;98(1):75–81. doi: 10.1128/jb.98.1.75-81.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bonsen P. P., de Haas G. H., van Deenen L. L. Synthetic and structural investigations on 3-phosphatidyl-1'-(3'-O-L-lysyl)glycerol. Biochemistry. 1967 Apr;6(4):1114–1120. doi: 10.1021/bi00856a021. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bureau G., Mazliak P. Apparition d'acides gras à chaîne ramifiée, au cours du développement en pénurie de phosphore de Bacillus subtilis var. niger. C R Acad Sci Hebd Seances Acad Sci D. 1967 Feb 20;264(8):1124–1127. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kaneda T. Biosynthesis of branched-chain fatty acids. IV. Factors affecting relative abundance of fatty acids produced by Bacillus subtilis. Can J Microbiol. 1966 Jun;12(3):501–514. doi: 10.1139/m66-073. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kaneda T. Fatty acids in the genus Bacillus. I. Iso- and anteiso-fatty acids as characteristic constituents of lipids in 10 species. J Bacteriol. 1967 Mar;93(3):894–903. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.3.894-903.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- POWELL J. F., STRANGE R. E. Biochemical changes occurring during the germination of bacterial spores. Biochem J. 1953 May;54(2):205–209. doi: 10.1042/bj0540205. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]