Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1968 Jun;95(6):2198–2209. doi: 10.1128/jb.95.6.2198-2209.1968

Fatty Acid Composition of the Complex Lipids of Staphylococcus aureus During the Formation of the Membrane-bound Electron Transport System

David C White 1, Frank E Frerman 1
PMCID: PMC315154  PMID: 5669897

Abstract

In Staphylococcus aureus, 64 fatty acids could be separated by gas-liquid chromatography. The fatty acids consisted of normal, iso, and anteiso saturated fatty acids of from 10 to 21 carbon atoms. Of the total fatty acids, 2 to 4% were normal, iso, and anteiso monoenoic fatty acids. Positional isomers of the normal monoenoic fatty acids could be detected. The fatty acids could be extracted, leaving 1 to 2% of the total fatty acids in the residue. The proportions of the fatty acids in the residue and the total lipids differed significantly. The lipid extract contained less than 0.12% free fatty acid. Between 5 and 10% of the lipid fatty acids were associated with neutral lipids. The majority of the fatty acids were associated with the complex lipids: mono- and diglucosyl diglyceride, phosphatidyl glycerol, lysyl phosphatidyl glycerol, and cardiolipin. The proportions of the fatty acids changed markedly between bacteria grown anaerobically (no membrane-bound electron transport system) and those grown aerobically (containing a functional electron transport system). In each of the complex lipids, the proportions of the fatty acids, as well as the magnitude and direction of change in the molar quantity of the fatty acids per bacterium, changed dramatically between these growth conditions. Since the glucosyl diglycerides and phospholipids were formed from the same pool of diglyceride intermediates, the marked differences in fatty acids indicate that acyl transferase activities must be an important part of complex lipid metabolism in S. aureus.

Full text

PDF
2198

Selected References

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

  1. BLIGH E. G., DYER W. J. A rapid method of total lipid extraction and purification. Can J Biochem Physiol. 1959 Aug;37(8):911–917. doi: 10.1139/o59-099. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chang Y. Y., Kennedy E. P. Biosynthesis of phosphatidyl glycerophosphate in Escherichia coli. J Lipid Res. 1967 Sep;8(5):447–455. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Frerman F. E., White D. C. Membrane lipid changes during formation of a functional electron transport system in Staphylococcus aureus. J Bacteriol. 1967 Dec;94(6):1868–1874. doi: 10.1128/jb.94.6.1868-1874.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. GOLDFINE H., BLOCH K. On the origin of unsaturated fatty acids in clostridia. J Biol Chem. 1961 Oct;236:2596–2601. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. JAMES A. T. Qualitative and quantitative determination of the fatty acids by gas-liquid chromatography. Methods Biochem Anal. 1960;8:1–59. doi: 10.1002/9780470110249.ch1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. LANDS W. E., HART P. METABOLISM OF GLYCEROLIPIDS. VI. SPECIFICITIES OF ACYL COENZYME A: PHOSPHOLIPID ACYLTRANSFERASES. J Biol Chem. 1965 May;240:1905–1911. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. LANDS W. E. Metabolism of glycerolipids. 2. The enzymatic acylation of lysolecithin. J Biol Chem. 1960 Aug;235:2233–2237. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Lennarz W. J., Nesbitt J. A., 3rd, Reiss J. The participation of sRNA in the enzymatic synthesis of O-L-lysyl phosphatidylgylcerol in Staphylococcus aureus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1966 Apr;55(4):934–941. doi: 10.1073/pnas.55.4.934. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lennarz W. J., Talamo B. The chemical characterization and enzymatic synthesis of mannolipids in Micrococcus lysodeikticus. J Biol Chem. 1966 Jun 10;241(11):2707–2719. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. NOVAK M. COLORIMETRIC ULTRAMICRO METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF FREE FATTY ACIDS. J Lipid Res. 1965 Jul;6:431–433. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Stanacev N. Z., Chang Y. Y., Kennedy E. P. Biosynthesis of cardiolipin in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1967 Jun 25;242(12):3018–3019. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Váczi L., Rédai I., Réthy A. Changes in the fatty acid composition of Staphylococcus aureus under various cultural conditions. Acta Microbiol Acad Sci Hung. 1967;14(3):293–298. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. WHITE D. C. SYNTHESIS OF 2-DEMETHYL VITAMIN K2 AND THE CYTOCHROME SYSTEM IN HAEMOPHILUS. J Bacteriol. 1965 Feb;89:299–305. doi: 10.1128/jb.89.2.299-305.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. White D. C., Cox R. H. Indentification and localization of the fatty acids in Haemophilus parainfluenzae. J Bacteriol. 1967 Mar;93(3):1079–1088. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.3.1079-1088.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. White D. C., Frerman F. E. Extraction, characterization, and cellular localization of the lipids of Staphylococcus aureus. J Bacteriol. 1967 Dec;94(6):1854–1867. doi: 10.1128/jb.94.6.1854-1867.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. White D. C. The obligatory involvement of the electron transport system in the catabolic metabolism of Haemophilus parainfluenzae. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1966;32(2):139–158. doi: 10.1007/BF02097454. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES