Skip to main content
Log in

Fatty acid patterns of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus 69-V indicate sensitivity against xenobiotics

  • Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology
  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The growth of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus 69-V on the alcohols ethanol, n-propanol, n-pentanol, n-hexanol and on phenol caused an alteration in its fatty acid composition leading to a gradual increase in the degree of saturation of the C16 acids from 55.4% to 83.5%, which (apart from phenol-grown cells) correlated to an increase in the resistance of the electron-transport phosphorylation against the effect of 2,4-dinitrophenol. These changes are in principle paralleled by changes observed when the growth temperature was increased in the sequence 20, 30 and 40°C with acetate as the carbon and energy source. However, in cells grown at 40°C, as in the case of phenol-grown cells, resistance decreased. This effect could be caused by an increase in the fluidity of the target membrane since, by contrast, the increase in sensitivity induced by growth at 40°C can be partially annulled by provoking a decrease in fluidity by performing the inhibition measurements at a lower temperature (20°C). Both the degree of saturation of the fatty acids and the fluidity of the cytoplasmic membrane are features that should enable the resistance of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus 69-V to xenobiotics to be predicted.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cronan JE, Gelman EP (1975) Physical properties of membrane lipids:biological relevance and regulation. Bacteriol Rev 39:232–256

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diefenbach R, Heipieper HJ, Keweloh H (1992) The conversion of cis into trans unsaturated fatty acids in Pseudomonas putida P8: evidence for a role in the regulation of membrane fluidity. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 38:382–387

    Google Scholar 

  • Haest CWM, Gier JD, Es GA van, Verkleij AJ, Deenen LLM van (1972) Fragility of the permeability barrier of Escherichia coli. Biochim Biophys Acta 288:43–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamamoto T, Takata N, Kudo T, Horikoshi K (1991) Effect of temperature and growth phase on fatty acid composition of the psychrophilic Vibrio sp. strain no. 5710. FEMS Microbiol Lett 119:77–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Heipieper HJ, Keweloh H, Rehm HJ (1991) Influence of phenols on growth and membrane permeability of free and immobilized Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol 57:1213–1217

    Google Scholar 

  • Heipieper HJ, Diefenbach R, Keweloh H (1992) Conversion of cis unsaturated fatty acids to trans, a possible mechanism for the protection of phenol-degrading Pseudomonas putida P8 from substrate toxicity. Appl Environ Microbiol 58:1847–1852

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heipieper HJ, Bont JAM de (1994) Adaptation of Pseudomonas putida S12 to ethanol and toluene at the level of fatty acid composition of membranes. Appl Environ Microbiol 60:4440–4444

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingram LO (1976) Adaptation of membrane lipids to alcohols. J Bacteriol 125:670–678

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingram LO (1977) Changes in lipid composition of Escherichia coli resulting from growth with organic solvents and with food additives. Appl Environ Microbiol 33:1233–1236

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingram LO (1984) Effects of alcohols on microorganisms. Adv Microbiol Physiol 25:253–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Keweloh H, Diefenbach R, Rehm H-J (1991) Increase of phenol tolerance of Escherichia coli by alterations of the fatty acid composition of the membrane lipids. Arch Microbiol 157:49–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Loffhagen N, Härtig C, Babel W (1995) The glucose dehydrogenase-mediated energization of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus as a tool for evaluating its susceptibility to, and defence against, hazardous chemicals. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 42:738–743

    Google Scholar 

  • Magnuson K, Jackowski S, Rock CO, Cronan JE (1993) Regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. Microbiol Rev 57:522–542

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller RH, Babel W (1986) Glucose as an energy donor in acetate growing Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. Arch Microbiol 144:62–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Okuyama H, Sasaki S, Higashi S, Murata N (1990) A trans-unsaturated fatty acid in a psychrophilic bacterium, Vibrio sp. strain ABE-1. J Bacteriol 172:3515–3518

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Overath P, Schairer HU, Stoffel W (1970) Correlation of in vivo and in vitro phase transitions of membrane lipids in Escherichia coli. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 58:606–612

    Google Scholar 

  • Saito H, Koyasu J, Yoshida K, Shigeoka T, Koike S (1993) Cytotoxicity of 109 chemicals to goldfish GFS cells and relationships with 1-octanol/water partition coefficients. Chemosphere 26:1015–1028

    Google Scholar 

  • Sikkema J, Bont JAM de, Poolman B (1994) Interactions of cyclic hydrocarbons with biological membranes. J Biol Chem 269:8022–8028

    Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan KH, Hegeman GD, Cordes EH (1979) Alteration of fatty acid composition of Escherichia coli by growth in the presence of normal alcohols. J Bacteriol 138:133–138

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas DS, Hossack JA, Rose AH (1978) Plasma-membrane lipid composition and ethanol tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Arch Microbiol 117:239–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Uchida K (1974) Lipids of alcoholophilic lactobacilli. 2. Occurrence of polar lipids with unusually long acyl chains in Lactobacillus heterohiochii. Biochim Biophys Acta 369:146–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber FJ, Isken S, Bont JAM de (1994) Cis/trans isomerization of fatty acids as a defense mechanism of Pseudomonas putida strains to toxic concentrations of toluene. Microbiology 140:2013–2017

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Loffhagen, N., Härtig, C. & Babel, W. Fatty acid patterns of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus 69-V indicate sensitivity against xenobiotics. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 44, 526–531 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00169955

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00169955

Keywords

Navigation