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Structure and composition of intracytoplasmic membranes of Ectothiorhodospira mobilis

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Abstract

The lamellar membrane stacks of Ectothiorhodospira mobilis were isolated and purified by a combination of lysozyme and osmotic shock treatment, followed by differential and density gradient centrifugation. Preparations of lamellar membranes were enriched at least 2.4-fold in the ratio of bacteriochlorophyll a to protein.

Thin-sectioning, negative staining, platinumcarbon shadowing and freeze-etching were used to study the architecture of the membrane units. Both platinum-carbon shadowing and freeze-etching showed the outer surfaces of the isolated lamellar membrane stacks to be relatively smooth. Particles averaging 7 nm in diameter were seen on several faces following freeze-ctching.

Non-polar amino acids amounted to 60% of the total amino acid composition. Lipids constituted 32% of the membrane dry weight. Phosphatidyl ethanolamine and diphosphatidyl glycerol were the major phospholipids. Fatty acids of 10–15 carbons represented a small fraction of both membrane and whole cell fatty acids. Monoenes constituted 36% of the total membrane fatty acids and 38.4% of the total whole cell fatty acids. The major fatty acids of both whole cells and purified membranes were C16:0, C18:1 and cyclopropane C19:0.

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  1. Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, 01002, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    Saundra Herndon Oyewole & Stanley C. Holt

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  1. Saundra Herndon Oyewole
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Oyewole, S.H., Holt, S.C. Structure and composition of intracytoplasmic membranes of Ectothiorhodospira mobilis . Arch. Microbiol. 107, 167–182 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00446836

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