Journal of Lipid Research, Vol. 15, 500-507, September 1974
Copyright © 1974 by Lipid Research, Inc.

Phospholipids of Clostridium butyricum. V. Effects of growth temperature on fatty acid, alk-1-enyl ether group, and phospholipid composition

G. K. Khuller and Howard Goldfine

Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19174

Many anaerobic bacteria have a high proportion of 1-alk-1'-enyl ethers (plasmalogens) among their phospholipids. We have examined the effects of growth temperature on the phospholipid, fatty acid, and alk-1-enyl group compositions of Clostridium butyricum. When the growth temperature was decreased from 37°C to 25°C, the proportion of glycerol phosphoglycerides (the sum of phosphatidylglycerol and the corresponding plasmalogen) increased at the expense of the ethanolamine and N-methylethanolamine phosphoglycerides. Analysis of the proportion of these lipids present in the diacyl and 1-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl forms has shown a substantial increase in the plasmalogen form of the glycerol phosphoglycerides and a decrease in the plasmalogen forms of the ethanolamine and N-methylethanolamine phosphoglycerides. An analysis of the fatty acids and alk-1-enyl groups isolated from the total phospholipids of cells grown at 25°C, 30°C, and 37°C has shown a general increase in the proportions of unsaturated and cyclopropane hydrocarbon chains at lower growth temperatures. When the temperature was lowered from 37°C to 25°C, the fatty acids had progressively more unsaturated and cyclopropane chains and fewer saturated chains. The alk-1-enyl groups, in particular those from the ethanolamine and N-methylethanolamine plasmalogens, were more saturated at 30°C than at 37°C. When the growth temperature was lowered to 25°C, there was little further change in the degree of unsaturation of the alk-1-enyl groups.

Supplementary key words plasmalogens • phosphatidylglycerol phosphatidylethanolamine • phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine • unsaturation • cyclopropane

Submitted on February 4, 1974
Accepted on May 6, 1974

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