The Journal of Membrane Biology

, Volume 65, Issue 1–2, pp 31–40 | Cite as

Unsaturated fatty acid requirement inEscherichia coli: Mechanism of palmitate-induced inhibition of growth of strain WN1

  • L. O. Ingram
  • L. C. Eaton
  • G. W. Erdos
  • T. F. Tedder
  • N. L. Vreeland
Articles

Summary

The minimum requirement for unsaturated fatty acids was investigated inE. coli using a mutant impaired in the synthesis of vaccenic acid. Exogenously supplied palmitic acid was incorporated by this mutant which led to a reduction in the proportion of cellular unsaturated fatty acids. Growth was impaired as the level of saturated fatty acids approached 76% at 37°C and 60% at 30°C. The basis of this growth inhibition was investigated. Most transport systems and enzymes examined remained active in palmitate-grown cells although the specific activities of glutamate uptake and succinic dehydrogenase were depressed 50%. Fluorescent probes of membrane organization indicated that fluidity decreased with palmitate incorportation. Temperature scans with parinaric acid indicated that rigid lipid domains exist in palmitategrown cells at their respective growth temperature. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy confirmed the presence of phase separations (particle-free areas) in palmitate-grown cells held at their growth temperature prior to quenching. The extent of this separation into particle-free and particle-enriched domains was equivalent to that induced by a shift to 0°C in control cells. The incorporation of palmitate increased nucleotide leakage over threefold. The cytoplasmic enzyme β-galactosidase was released into the surrounding medium as the concentration of unsaturated fatty acid approached the minimum for a particular growth temperature. Lysis was observed as a decrease in turbidity when cells which had been grown with palmitate were shifted to a lower growth temperature. From these results we propose that leakage and partial lysis are the major factors contributing to the apparent decrease in growth rate caused by the excessive incorporation of palmitate. Further, we propose that membrane integrity may determine the minimum requirement for unsaturated fatty acids inE. coli rather than a specific effect on membrane transport and/or membrane-bound enzymes.

Key words

lipids membranes Escherichia coli temperature adaptation fatty acids phase separations 

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. 1.
    Akutso, H., Akamatsu, Y., Shinbo, T., Uehara, K., Takahashi, K., Kyogoku, T. 1980. Evidence for phase separations in the membrane of an osmotically stabilized fatty acid auxotroph ofE. coli and its biological significance.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 598:437–446Google Scholar
  2. 2.
    Baldassare, J.J., Brenckle, G.M., Hoffman, M., Silbert, D.F. 1977. Modification of membrane lipids. Functional properties and relationship to fatty acid structure.J. Biol. Chem. 252:8797–8803Google Scholar
  3. 3.
    Berger, B., Carty, C.E., Ingram, L.O. 1980. Alcohol-induced changes in the phospholipid molecular species ofEscherichia coli.J. Bacteriol 142:1040–1044Google Scholar
  4. 4.
    Buttke, T.M., Ingram, L.O. 1978. Mechanism of ethanol-induced changes in lipid composition ofEscherichia coli: Inhibition of saturated fatty acid synthesisin vivo.Biochemistry 17:637–644Google Scholar
  5. 5.
    Cronan, J.E., Jr. 1978. Molecular biology of bacterial membrane lipids.Annu. Rev. Biochem. 47:163–189Google Scholar
  6. 6.
    Cronan, J.E., Jr., Gelman, E.P. 1973. An estimate of the minimum amount of unsaturated fatty acid required for growth ofEscherichia coli.J. Biol. Chem. 248:1188–1195Google Scholar
  7. 7.
    Cronan, J.E., Jr., Gelmann, E.P. 1975. Physical properties of membrane lipids: Biological relevance and regulation.Bacteriol. Rev. 39:232–256Google Scholar
  8. 8.
    DiRienzo, J.M., Inouye, M. 1979. Lipid fluidity-dependent biosynthesis and assembly of the outer membrane proteins ofE. coli. Cell 17:155–161Google Scholar
  9. 9.
    Esko, J.D., Gilmore, J.R., Glaser, M. 1977. Use of a fluorescent probe to determine the viscosity of LM cell membranes with altered phospholipid composition.Biochemistry 16:1881–1896Google Scholar
  10. 10.
    Evans, D.J., Jr. 1969. Membrane adenosine triphosphatase ofEscherichia coli: Activation by calcium ion and inhibition by monovalent cations.J. Bacteriol. 100:914–922Google Scholar
  11. 11.
    Fried, V.A., Novick, A. 1973. Organic solvents as probes for the structure and function of the bacterial membrane: Effects of ethanol on the wild type and an ethanol-resistant mutant ofEscherichia coli K12.J. Bacteriol. 114:239–248Google Scholar
  12. 12.
    Fulco, A.J. 1974. Metabolic alterations of fatty acids.Annu. Rev. Biochem. 43:215–241Google Scholar
  13. 13.
    Garwin, J.L., Klages, A.L., Cronan, J.E., Jr. 1980. β-Ketoacylcarrier protein synthetase II ofE. coli. Evidence for function in the thermal regulation of fatty acid synthesis.J. Biol. Chem. 255:3263–3265Google Scholar
  14. 14.
    Henning, U., Dennert, G., Rehn, K., Deppe, G. 1967. Effects of oleate starvation in a fatty acid auxotroph ofEscherichia coli K-12.J. Bacteriol. 98:784–796Google Scholar
  15. 15.
    Ingram, L.O. 1976. Adaptation of membrane lipids to alcohols.J. Bacteriol. 125:670–678Google Scholar
  16. 16.
    Ingram, L.O. 1977. Preferential inhibition of phosphatidyl ethanolamine synthesis inE. coli by alcohols.Can. J. Microbiol. 23:779–789Google Scholar
  17. 17.
    Ingram, L.O., Vreeland, N.S. 1980. Differential effects of ethanol and hexanol on theEscherichia coli cell envelope.J. Bacteriol. 144:481–488Google Scholar
  18. 18.
    Jackson, M.B., Cronan, J.E., Jr. 1978. An estimate of the minimum amount of fluid lipid required for the growth ofEscherichia coli.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 512:472–479Google Scholar
  19. 19.
    Kito, M., Ishinaga, M., Nishihara, M., Kato, M., Sawada, S., Hata, T. 1975. Metabolism of the phosphatidylglycerol molecular species inEscherichia coli.Eur. J. Biochem. 54:55–63Google Scholar
  20. 20.
    Lowry, O.H., Rosebrough, N.J., Farr, A.L., Randall, R.J. 1951. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent.J. Biol. Chem. 193:265–275Google Scholar
  21. 21.
    Luria, S.E., Delbruck, M. 1943. Mutations of bacteria from virus sensitivity to virus resistance.Genetics 28:491–511Google Scholar
  22. 22.
    Marcelja, S., Wolfe, J. 1979. Properties of bilayer membranes in the phase transition or phase separation region.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 557:24–31Google Scholar
  23. 23.
    Marr, A.G., Ingraham, J.L. 1962. Effect of temperature on the composition of fatty acids inEscherichia coli.J. Bacteriol. 84:1260–1267Google Scholar
  24. 24.
    Mueller, M., Meister, N., Moor, H. 1980. Freezing in a propane jet and its application in freeze-fracturing.Mikroskopie 36:129–140Google Scholar
  25. 25.
    Nunn, W.D., Cronan, J.E., Jr. 1974. Unsaturated fatty acid synthesis is not required for induction of lactose transport inEscherichia coli.J. Biol. Chem. 249:724–731Google Scholar
  26. 26.
    Osborn, M.J., Gander, J.F., Parisi, E., Carson, J. 1972. Mechanism of assembly of the outer membrane ofSalmonella typhimurium.J. Biol. Chem. 247:3962–3972Google Scholar
  27. 27.
    Quinn, P.J., Chapman, D. 1980. The thermodynamics of membrane structure.CRC Crit. Rev. Biochem. 8:1–117Google Scholar
  28. 28.
    Rintoul, D.A., Chou, S.M., Silbert, D.F. 1979. Physical characterization of sterol-depleted LM-cell plasma membranes.J. Biol. Chem. 254:10070–10077Google Scholar
  29. 29.
    Silbert, D.F. 1970. Arrangement of fatty acyl groups in phosphatidylethanolamine from a fatty acid auxotroph ofEscherichia coli.Biochemistry 9:3631–3640Google Scholar
  30. 30.
    Silvius, J.R., Mak, N., McElhaney, R.N. 1980. Lipid and protein composition and thermotrophic lipid phase transitions in fatty acid-homogeneous membranes ofAcholeplasma laidlawii B.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 597:199–215Google Scholar
  31. 31.
    Sklar, L.A., Miljanich, G.P., Dratz, E.A. 1979. Phospholipid lateral phase separation and the partition ofcis-parinaric acid andtrans-parinaric acid among aqueous, solid lipid and fluid lipid domains.Biochemistry 18:1707–1716Google Scholar
  32. 32.
    Sullivan, K.H., Jain, M.K., Koch, A.L. 1974. Activation of the β-galactoside transport system inEscherichia coli ML-308 byn-alkanols-Modification of lipid-protein interactions by a change in bilayer fluidity.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 352:287–297Google Scholar
  33. 33.
    Tecoma, E.S., Sklar, L.A., Simoni, R.D., Hudson, B.S. 1977. Conjugated polyene fatty acids as fluorescent probes: Biosynthetic incorporation of parinaric acid byEscherichia coli and studies on phase transitions.Biochemistry 16:829–835Google Scholar
  34. 34.
    Thilo, L., Overath, P. 1976. Randomization of membrane lipids in relation to transport system assembly inEscherichia coli.Biochemistry 15:328–334Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag New York Inc 1982

Authors and Affiliations

  • L. O. Ingram
    • 1
  • L. C. Eaton
    • 1
  • G. W. Erdos
    • 1
  • T. F. Tedder
    • 1
  • N. L. Vreeland
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Microbiology and Cell Science and Department of Immunology and Medical MicrobiologyUniversity of FloridaGainesville

Personalised recommendations