Effect of chlorophenols on the membrane lipids of bacterial cells

Chlorophenols, widespread soil and water contaminants and often degradation products of some pesticides, are a potential stress factor for survival of environmental bacteria. The effect of pentachlorophenol (PCP) and 2,4-chlorophenol (2,4-CP) on the growth, amount of lipid, and fatty acid composition in the membrane lipids was examined in a strain of the bacterium Kocuria varians, able to degrade chlorophenols. The index of fatty acid unsaturation in two main membrane lipids, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) decreased in the presence of chlorophenols. Transformation of stearic acid into oleic acid was significantly increased by PCP addition only in PE, but conversion of oleic acid into linoleic acid was blocked by PCP and 2,4-CP in both PC and PE. This observation may indicate that while Δ⁹ desaturase was sensitive mainly to 2,4-CP, activity of Δ¹² desaturase was inhibited by both PCP and 2,4-CP.