Changes in Membrane Lipid Composition in Exponentially Growing Staphylococcus aureus During the Shift from 37 to 25 C

Abstract

Lowering the temperature of growth of Staphylococcus aureus from 37 to 25 C decreased the growth rate and induced changes in the composition of the membrane lipids. Changes in lipid composition also occur in the transition between exponential and stationary growth phases at one temperature. To isolate the effects of lowering the temperature, exponentially growing S. aureus was abruptly switched from 37 to 25 C by transfer to cooler medium. Exponential growth continued at 25 C without a lag period but with a threefold increase in doubling time. In the period of exponential growth at suboptimal temperature, there was essentially no change in the fatty acid composition of the lipids, little change in the vitamin K2 composition with perhaps a slight increase in the total level, and essentially no change in the phospholipid composition, but a marked stimulation of the synthesis of the rubixanthins. Growth of cells at 25 C was much more sensitive to the inhibition of rubixanthin formation by mixed-function oxidase inhibitors than cells growing at 37 C, suggesting some function for the rubixanthins at suboptimal temperatures. The striking increases in the proportions of monoenoic fatty acids observed at lowered growth temperatures in many biological systems are not detected in S. aureus.

Comparative study of the cellular fatty acids of methicillin-resistant and -susceptibleStaphylococcus aureus

“…There were statistically significant differences between the cellular fatty acid compositions of the groups in terms of Cil5 = 0 and C20 = 0. The cellular fatty acids of all the strains tested were saturated rather than unsaturated (13,20,22). The quantitative differences found between the fatty acid components in the present and earlier taxonomic studies on S. aureus (6,28) may be attributable to differences in cultivation conditions (24,25).…”

Microbial oxidation of CH4 at different temperatures in landfill cover soils

“…We also observed such a trend in our samples, but there were no significant differences at a ¼ 0:05. Nevertheless, it should be noted that some reports have indicated that several bacterial strains do not display this shift [40,41], and that other changes, e.g., from 16:1x7c to cy17:0 may also be possible [42]. Accordingly, even though it is known that methanotrophs, like other bacteria, can alter the composition of their membranes in response to changes in temperature, the increases in the methanotroph-associated PLFAs in our samples were probably caused by a rise in biomass, since the kinetics of CH 4 consumption were consistent with the growth of CH 4 oxidisers.…”

FabH selectivity for anteiso branched-chain fatty acid precursors in low-temperature adaptation inListeria monocytogenes

“…The FabH preference for 2-methylbutyryl-CoA at 10 1C supports the idea that FabH substrate specificity contributes to the increased proportion of anteiso fatty acids produced by bacteria during cold adaptation. We think that these basic observations on substrate specificity will also apply to the FabH enzymes of other bacteria that increase the content of anteiso fatty acids at lower growth temperatures, such as B. subtilis (Klein et al, 1999), S. aureus (Joyce et al, 1970), and other Gram-positive bacteria (Suutari & Laakso, 1994).…”