Abstract
The effect of the age of a culture of Sarcina aurantiaca on the chemical composition of the total membrane fraction has been investigated. Whereas the protein content is constant and the carbohydrate increases with age, the lipid content decreases which may be a reflection of increased binding of the lipid to protein. The carbohydrates present in the membrane are mannose, galactose, glucose and ribose and their relative concentrations change from the exponential to stationary phase. As the cell goes into stationary phase, the amino acid composition of the protein changes with a large increase in alanine and smaller increases in lysine and methionine. The increase in alanine and lysine may be associated with an accumulation of incomplete wall precursors in the membrane during stationary phase since the murein peptide of S. aurantiaca is known to be of the l-lysine-l-alanine 3 type.
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Thirkell, D., Gray, E.M.M. Chemical composition of a purified membrane fraction from Sarcina aurantiaca in relation to growth phase. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 40, 65–70 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394554
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394554