Influence of growth conditions on fatty acid composition of a polyunsaturated-fatty-acid-producing Vibrio species

The influence on fatty acid composition of growth medium composition and phase of growth during batch culture and of dilution rate and growth temperature during continuous culture was studied in the eicosapentaenoic-acid (20:5 n-3)-producing Vibrio CCUG 35308. In glucose-mineral medium, even-numbered normal fatty acyl residues, primarily 16:0, 16:1, 18:1, and 20:5, strongly dominated (ca. 90%), and the fatty acid profile remained practically unchanged throughout a batch-growth cycle. In nutrient broth, the contribution by "uncommon" fatty acids, mainly i-13:0, 15:0, i-15:0, and 17:1 was generally higher, and increased from 15.4% of total fatty acids in early exponential growth phase to 33.2% in the stationary phase. Reduction of the dilution rate in a chemostat from 0.27 to 0.065 h-1 also led to an almost threefold increase in the proportion of odd-numbered residues at the expense of the even-numbered normal ones. Contrary to this plasticity in the overall fatty acid profile influenced by variations in nutrient composition and availability, the level of eicosapentaenoic acid seemed exclusively dictated by growth temperature. The synthesis of this polyunsaturated fatty acid may be a key regulatory process in maintaining membrane fluidity.

Osmoregulation in Escherichia coli by accumulation of organic osmolytes: betaines, glutamic acid, and trehalose.

It has been shown previously that externally added glycine betaine is accumulated in Escherichia coli in response to the external osmotic strength. Here we have shown, by using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and radiochemical methods, that E. coli growing in a glucose-mineral medium of elevated osmotic strength generated with NaCl, had the same capacity to accumulate proline betaine and glycine betaine. Its capacity to accumulate gamma-butyrobetaine was, however, 40 to 50% lower. Accordingly, externally added proline betaine and glycine betaine stimulated aerobic growth of osmotically stressed cells equally well, and they were more osmoprotective than gamma-butyrobetaine. In cells grown at an osmotic strength of 0.64, 1.01, or 1.47 osmolal, respectively, the molal cytoplasmic concentration of the two former betaines corresponded to 29, 38, or 58% of the external osmotic strength. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that trehalose and glutamic acid were the only species of organic osmolytes accumulated in significant amounts in cells grown under osmotic stress in glucose-mineral medium without betaines. Their combined molal concentration in the cytoplasm of cells grown at 1.01 osmolal corresponded to 27% of the external osmotic strength.

Choline-glycine betaine pathway confers a high level of osmotic tolerance in Escherichia coli.

Glycine betaine and its precursors choline and glycine betaine aldehyde have been found to confer a high level of osmotic tolerance when added exogenously to cultures of Escherichia coli at an inhibitory osmotic strength. In this paper, the following findings are described. Choline works as an osmoprotectant only under aerobic conditions, whereas glycine betaine aldehyde and glycine betaine function both aerobically and anaerobically. No endogenous glycine betaine accumulation was detectable in osmotically stressed cells grown in the absence of the osmoprotectant itself or the precursors. A membrane-bound, O2-dependent, and electron transfer-linked dehydrogenase was found which oxidized choline to glycine betaine aldehyde and aldehyde to glycine betaine at nearly the same rate. It displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics; the apparent Km values for choline and glycine betaine aldehyde were 1.5 and 1.6 mM, respectively. Also, a soluble, NAD-dependent dehydrogenase oxidized glycine betaine aldehyde. It displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics; the apparent Km values for the aldehyde, NAD, and NADP were 0.13, 0.06, and 0.5 mM, respectively. The choline-glycine betaine pathway was osmotically regulated, i.e., full enzymic activities were found only in cells grown aerobically in choline-containing medium at an elevated osmotic strength. Chloramphenicol inhibited the formation of the pathway in osmotically stressed cells.

Selection, mapping, and characterization of osmoregulatory mutants of Escherichia coli blocked in the choline-glycine betaine pathway.

Osmotically stressed Escherichia coli cells synthesize the osmoprotectant glycine betaine by oxidation of choline through glycine betaine aldehyde (choline----glycine betaine aldehyde----glycine betaine; B. Landfald and A.R. Strøm, J. Bacteriol. 165:849-855, 1986. Mutants blocked at the level of choline dehydrogenase were isolated by selection of strains which did not grow at elevated osmotic strength in the presence of choline but grew when supplemented with glycine betaine. A gene governing the choline dehydrogenase activity was named betA. Mapping by P1 transduction, F' complementation, and deletion mutagenesis showed the betA gene to be located at 7.5 min in the argF-codAB region of the chromosome. Mutants carrying deletions of this region also lacked glycine betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase activity and high-affinity uptake activity for choline; these deletions did not influence the activities of glycine betaine uptake or low-affinity choline uptake, both of which were osmotically regulated.