Open AccessIncreased outer membrane ornithine-containing lipid and lysozyme penetrability of Paracoccus denitrificans grown in a complex medium deficient in divalent cations
Author(s) -
Sechan Wee,
Brian J. Wilkinson
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.652
H-Index - 246
eISSN - 1067-8832
pISSN - 0021-9193
DOI - 10.1128/jb.170.7.3283-3286.1988
Subject(s) - paracoccus denitrificans , divalent , lysozyme , biology , biochemistry , phospholipid , membrane , growth medium , ornithine , bacterial outer membrane , chemistry , enzyme , arginine , bacteria , escherichia coli , organic chemistry , amino acid , genetics , gene
Paracoccus denitrificans grown in a complex medium was highly susceptible to lysozyme, in contrast to cells grown in a complex medium supplemented with Mg2+ and Ca2+ or in a succinate-salts medium. The complex medium was deficient in divalent cations needed for optimum outer membrane stability. The major change in molecular compositions of outer membranes isolated from cells grown under the different conditions was a higher ratio of ornithine-containing lipid to phospholipid in complex-medium-grown cells (0.63) than in cells grown in complex medium with Mg2+ and Ca2+ (0.22) or in succinate-salts medium (0.14). We suggest that the dipolarionic ornithine-containing lipid is less dependent than acidic phospholipids on divalent cations for its incorporation into the outer membrane.