Fatty acid profiles of cells from the insect cell line iprl-21 (Spodoptera frugiperda) and of the tissue culture medium after repeated use

Summary When IPL-1 medium was used for three serial incubations of cells of the IPRL-21 insect cell line (Spodoptera frugiperda, J. E. Smith) at least 23 fatty acids were identified from the media and/or from the cells. During the first incubation only negligible changes occurred in the total fatty acid content of the medium, but after the second and third incubations the total content decreased. Seven of the 23 fatty acids (palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids) comprised 92% of the total fatty acid content, but the specific concentrations varied after each 7-day incubation. During the first incubation, the concentration of the monoene fatty acids increased, and the concentration of the more highly unsaturated fatty acids decreased. During the second and third serial incubations, the specific concentrations of all fatty acids decreased, with the exception of palmitoleic acid. These changes in the total fatty acid content and in the specific concentration of individual fatty acids in the cell indicated uptake of fatty acids from the medium and/or cellular lipid biosynthesis. The fatty acid content of the cells differed during the active growth phase and the stationary phase.     

Iron Reduction and Trans Plasma Membrane Electron Transfer in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The ferri-reductase activity of whole cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (washed free from the growth medium) was markedly increased 3 to 6 h after transferring the cells from a complete growth medium (preculture) to an iron-deficient growth medium (culture). This increase was prevented by the presence of iron, copper, excess oxygen, or other oxidative agents in the culture medium. The cells with increased ferri-reductase activity had a higher reduced glutathione content and a higher capacity to expose exofacial sulfhydryl groups. Plasma membranes purified from those cells exhibited a higher reduced nicotinamide adenine phosphate (NADPH)-dependent ferri-reductase specific activity. However, the intracellular levels of NADPH, NADH, and certain organic acids of the tricarboxylic acids cycle were unchanged, and the activity of NADPH-generating enzymes was not increased. Addition of Fe(III)-EDTA to iron-deprived and iron-rich cells in resting suspension resulted in a decrease in intracellular reduced glutathione in the case of iron-deprived cells and in an increase in organic acids and a sudden oxidation of NADH in both types of cells. The depolarizing effect of Fe³⁺ was more pronounced in iron-rich cells. The metabolic pathways that may be involved in regulating the trans-plasma membrane electron transfer in yeast are discussed.     

The Amino Acid Content in Gamma-irradiated Rice†

High phosphate accumulating bacteria were isolated by autoradiography. One isoate, Arthrobacter globiformis PAB-6 accumulated phosphate intracellularly at 20% of dry cell mass in a simple synthetic medium. This amount was 3~7 times higher than type cultures examined. Almost no phosphate was released into the medium after cessation of growth. Fifty percent of total intracellular phosphate was fractionated as nucleic acids, while 20% each was recovered from cold PCA soluble fractions and polyphosphate fractions. The large content of nucleic acids in this bacterium appeared due to increased RNA content, specifically 4 S RNA fraction.     

Fermentative and aerobic metabolism in Rhizobium etli.

Strains of Rhizobium etli, Rhizobium meliloti, and Rhizobium tropici decreased their capacity to grow after successive subcultures in minimal medium, with a pattern characteristic for each species. During the growth of R. etli CE 3 in minimal medium (MM), a fermentation-like response was apparent: the O2 content was reduced and, simultaneously, organic acids and amino acids were excreted and poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) was accumulated. Some of the organic acids excreted into the medium were tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, and, concomitantly, the activities of several TCA cycle and auxiliary enzymes decreased substantially or became undetectable. Optimal and sustained growth and a low PHB content were found in R. etli CE 3 when it was grown in MM inoculated at a low cell density with O2 maintained at 20% or with the addition of supplements that have an effect on the supply of substrates for the TCA cycle. In the presence of supplements such as biotin or thiamine, no amino acids were excreted and the organic acids already excreted into the medium were later reutilized. Levels of enzyme activities in cells from supplemented cultures indicated that carbon flux through the TCA cycle was maintained, which did not happen in MM. It is proposed that the fermentative state in Rhizobium species is triggered by a cell density signal that results in the regulation of some of the enzymes responsible for the flux of carbon through the TCA cycle and that this in turn determines how much carbon is available for the synthesis and accumulation of PHB. The fermentative state of free-living Rhizobium species may be closely related to the metabolism that these bacteria express during symbiosis.     

Rational development of a simple synthetic medium for the sustained growth of Lactococcus lactis

The growth of two strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis from vegetable (NCDO 2118) and dairy origin (IL 1403) were compared on various culture media. Both strains grew more rapidly on a complex organic medium than on a defined synthetic medium. The best growth was obtained under nitrogen gas phase. The single omission technique was applied to each component of a non-optimized synthetic medium in order to determine the true nutritional requirements. Requirements for macro-elements, oligo-elements, bases and vitamins were identical for the two strains. As expected, the dairy strain (IL 1403) was seen to be auxotrophic for some amino acids, whereas the vegetable strain (NCDO 2118) was seen to be prototrophic for all amino acids when using the single omission technique. Growth was then characterized on progressively simplified media and the composition of the absolute minimal media for the growth of both strains was defined. Sustained growth of the vegetable strain was only possible in minimal media supplemented with six amino acids (Glu, Met, Ile, Leu, Val, Ser), indicating that the definition of prototrophy/auxotrophy is partly dependent upon the medium composition. The dairy strain showed a requirement for Arg, His and Thr in addition to the six amino acids necessary for growth of the vegetable strain. The removal of ammonium salt from the medium did not affect the growth, illustrating that the amino acids may satisfy the totality of the nitrogen requirement for biomass synthesis.     

Formation and distribution of free amino acids in Cunninghamella elegans mycelium during growth on media with glucose and dodecane]

The growth, assimilation of organic nitrogen compounds, and production and distribution of free amino acids were studied during the growth of Cunninghamella elegans (--) 1204 on the defined medium 12 containing glucose and dodecane and without an additional carbon source (control). The culture utilized all leucine, glycine, and asparagine after three days of the growth, irrespective of the source of carbon in the medium. Glutamic acid was assimilated only in the presence of glucose. Some 15 free amino acids and 2 amides were detected in the cells, and also some correlations in the composition of the pool in the presence of different sources of carbon in the medium. The substitution of dodecane for glucose decelerates metabolism of free intracellular amino acids and stimulates their accumulation in the cells, especially if there is a deficiency of carbon sources: the overall content of amino acids and amides on the medium with glucose is from 2.2 to 4.1 mg/g; with dodecane, from 9.8 to 16.5 mg/g; in the control, from 16.4 to 25.8 mg/g.     

Effect of fatty acid supplementation on the lipid composition of Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC 607, grown at 27° and 37°C

Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC 607 was grown at 27 and 37°C, with and without exogenous unsaturated fatty acids, viz. elaidic, oleic and palmitoleic acids, added to the growth medium. The total lipid content of M. smegmatis ATCC 607 was lower at 27°C, and with added oleic acid, when compared with the controls, but higher in presence of palmitoleic acid. At 37°C no significant differences were noted in the total lipid content. In general, the total lipid content was lower with all of the fatty acid supplementations at both 27 and 37°C. The phosphatidylethanolamine content was slightly higher at 27°C in the presence of elaidic or palmitoleic acid, but was markedly lower with oleic acid supplementation at 37°C. The cardiolipin content was lower in the presence of any of the fatty acids at 27°C, and higher in the medium supplemented with elaidic or oleic acid at 37°C. The unsaturated to saturated fatty acids ratio was higher with palmitoleic acid supplementation at 27°C, but remained unchanged in cells grown at 37°C. The modifications in mycobacterial lipids are a reflection of the organism's ability to adapt to changing growth conditions.     

Influence of culture medium of the fatty-acid profile in enteric bacteria.

Enteric bacteria having a high content of cyclopropane fatty acids steeply increase their synthesis when grown on insufficiently propitious culture media (meat-peptone agar or modified Drobot'ko synthetic medium) as compared with bacteria grown under more favourable conditions (meat-peptone broth). Simultaneously, a decrease in monounsaturated fatty acids and increase in palmitic acid are observed. One of the main factors underlying the change in the proportion of fatty acids in bacteria grown on synthetic medium is an increase in medium pH in the process of their growth. Enteric bacteria containing minute amounts/or not containing cyclopropane fatty acids at all (under the experimental conditions used) change their fatty-acid profile little if the culture medium is changed. When grown under insufficiently favourable conditions, these bacteria mainly display an enhanced content of palmitic acid and a lowered content of octadacenoic acid as compared with bacteria grown under more favourable conditions. Of the culture media used, meat-peptone broth, which affords the most favourable conditions for eneteric bacteria growth, is the most suitable medium for obtaining data of taxonomic value.     

Manipulation of fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipid and its effects on cell growth in mouse LM cells

Fatty acid composition of the phospholipids of mouse LM cells grown in suspension culture in serum-free chemically defined medium was modified by supplementing the medium with various fatty acids bound to bovine serum albumin.Following supplementation with saturated fatty acids of longer than 15 carbons (100 μM) profound inhibition of cell growth occurred; this inhibitory effect was completely abolished when unsaturated fatty acids were added at the same concentration. Supplementing with unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid, linolenic acid or arachidonic acid had no effect on the cell growth.Fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids could be manipulated by addition of different fatty acids. The normal percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in LM cell membrane phospholipids (63%) was reduced to 35–41% following incorporation of saturated fatty acids longer than 15 carbon atoms and increased to 72–82% after addition of unsaturated fatty acids.A good correlation was found between the unsaturated fatty acid content of membrane phospholipids and cell growth. When incorporated saturated fatty acids reduced the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in membrane phospholipids to less than 50%, severe inhibition of the cell growth was found. Simultaneous addition of an unsaturated fatty acid completely abolished this effect of saturated fatty acids.     

The influence of amino acids on the lobeline production of Lobelia inflata L. hairy root cultures

The herb Lobelia inflata L. (Lobeliaceae) containspiperidine alkaloids. The main alkaloid is the pharmacologically-activelobeline. We have studied the effects of alkaloid precursor amino acids (lysineand phenylalanine) on the growth and alkaloid production of hairy root culturesof Lobelia inflata L. The hairy root clone 8009/h7transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain R 1601wascultivated on B5 solid medium containing lysine (Lys) and phenylalanine (Phe)both in the presence and absence of the growth regulators IAA and kinetin. Onthe medium containing hormones growth was delayed until day 14. The applicationof growth regulators to the B5 media containing amino acids either singly or incombination increased the biomass in all cases. The maximum dry weight wasachieved in a medium containing Phe+Lys and growthregulators. The highest lobeline level (36 g/g) was detectedintissues cultivated on hormone-free medium containing Phe. In hormone-freemedia,lobeline production increased in the presence of either Phe or Lys comparedwiththe control, but the addition of both greatly decreased synthesis. In contrast,the addition of both amino acids to media supplemented with IAA and kinetinincreased lobeline production.     

Nutritional Alteration of the Fatty Acid Composition of a Thermophilic Bacillus Species

The fatty acid composition of a thermophilic Bacillus sp. was altered by the addition of isobutyrate, isovalerate, alpha-methylbutyrate, leucine, and isoleucine to the growth medium. With isobutyrate, 81% of the fatty acids had 16 carbon atoms and 79% were iso-fatty acids with an even number of carbon atoms. With leucine, 58% of the fatty acids had 15 carbon atoms and 86% were iso-fatty acids with an odd number of carbon atoms. With isoleucine, 72% of the fatty acids had 17 carbon atoms and 88% were anteiso-fatty acids with an odd number of carbon atoms. Thus, by altering the composition of the growth medium, cells were produced in which the majority of the fatty acids had either 15, 16, or 17 carbons and belonged to each of the three groups of branched-chain fatty acids. The wide variation observed in the fatty acid composition makes it unlikely that any specific branched-chain fatty acid is required for vital functions.     

Correlation between the fatty acid composition and the activity of extracellular enzymes from Bacillus caldolyticus

Summary Bacillus caldolyticus, grown at 70°C, produces a highly active extracellular amylase and protease. Both enzymes are formed either within the membrane, or at its inner surface. The activity of both extracellular enzymes was found to decline drastically when brain-heart infusion was omitted from the medium. A simultaneous increase of both enzymes inside the cell was observed. The shifting in extra- and intra-cellular activity was caused by changes in membrane composition due to the increase of anteiso-odd and n-even, and the decrease of iso-odd fatty acids. Membrane composition and enzymic activity could be influenced by the addition of either leucine or iso-leucine as precursors for the synthesis of branched-chain fatty acids: In presence of leucine the anteiso-odd and n-even fatty acids returned to their normal level, while the iso-odd fatty acids increased. Simultaneously the extracellular protease activity increased, and the intracellular activity declined. Growth in amylose-medium supplied with leucine lead to a decrease of both the intra- and extracellular amylase, and changes in the fatty acid composition of the membrane which could not be restored by transfer of the organism to complete media. Addition of iso-leucine first lead to a sharp decrease of extracellular protease and a drastic increase of intracellular protease activity, accompanied by an increase of anteiso-odd and n-even fatty acids, and a decrease of iso-odd compounds. After the second growth in presence of iso-leucine the intra- and extra-cellular protease activity was reversed, and thus showed a return to the starting situation. The reversal is accompanied by the preferential incorporation of fatty acids with a higher melting point into the membrane. Extracellular amylase activity was found to increase after the first growth with iso-leucine, and to decline sharply after the second culture with iso-leucine, together with a very high intracellular amylase activity at that point. Extra- and intra-cellular amylase activity both declined upon growth in complete medium, while the fatty acid distribution remained different from the initial composition.     

Long-chain fatty acid perturbations in Mycoplasma pneumoniae

The fatty acid content of Mycoplasma pneumoniae increased 2.5- to 9.6-fold when the growth medium was supplemented with a saturated, unsaturated, or beta-hydroxy fatty acid, the greatest increase occurring with palmitic acid. The amount of each supplemented fatty acid found within this organism was 2.8 to 5.5% of the total fatty acid content; the exception was palmitic acid. Up to 57% of the palmitic acid was utilized from the supplemented medium, whereas only 0.2 to 10% of the other fatty acids was utilized. Chromatographic and isotopic analyses revealed that 22% of the labeled palmitic acid incorporated from the palmitic acid-supplemented medium remained free in this organism. Also, even though complex lipid synthesis increased a minimum of 3.8-fold under these conditions, this mycoplasma continued to incorporate intact complex lipids from the growth medium. Bacteriostatic and bactericidal studies which used high concentrations of various long-chain fatty acids showed that only palmitic, myristic, and beta-hydroxydecanoic acids were not bactericidal. The addition of palmitic acid to the growth medium resulted in the formation of exceedingly long, filamentous cells in approximately 25% of the population. Osmotic fragility and electron spin resonance spectroscopy studies showed a correlation among this increased fatty acid content, decreased membrane fluidity, and the increased osmotic fragility of palmitic acid-grown cells. In addition, these cells had a lowered cholesterol content. The effect of such compositional changes on osmotic fragility is discussed in this paper. Finally, the profound increase in the total fatty acid content of palmitic acid-grown cells altered neither sensitivity to tetracycline or erythromycin nor the amount of hydrogen peroxide secreted.     

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE COMPOSITION OF FATTY ACIDS IN ESCHERICHIA COLI.

Marr, Allen G. (University of California, Davis) and John L. Ingraham. Effect of temperature on composition of fatty acids in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 84:1260-1267. 1962.-Variations in the temperature of growth and in the composition of the medium alter the proportions of individual fatty acids in the lipids of Escherichia coli. As the temperature of growth is lowered, the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (hexadecenoic and octadecenoic acids) increases. The increase in content of unsaturated acids with a decrease in temperature of growth occurs in both minimal and complex media. Cells harvested in the stationary phase contained large amounts of cyclopropane fatty acids (methylenehexadecanoic and methylene octadecanoic acids) in comparison with cells harvested during exponential growth. Cells grown in a chemostat, limited by the concentration of ammonium salts, show a much higher content of saturated fatty acids (principally palmitic acid) than do cells harvested from an exponentially-growing batch culture in the same medium. Cells grown in a chemostat, limited by the concentration of glucose, show a slightly higher content of unsaturated fatty acids than cells from the corresponding batch culture. The results do not indicate a direct relation between fatty acid composition and minimal growth temperature.     

Effect of sugars, hydrogen ion concentration and ammonium nitrate on the formation of citric acid by Aspergillus niger.

Aspergillus niger Mulder strain when grown on a synthetic medium containing urea as the sole source of nitrogen at pH 5.2, formed a mixture of citric and gluconic acids. On growing the organism at pH 2.0 the gluconic acid content was reduced but citric acid yield remained low. Addition of NH4NO3 to the medium lowered the gluconic acid yields to undetectable levels with a simultaneous increase in the citric acid content. Of the sugars used for the production of citric acid, sucrose in an unautoclaved medium was found to be the best carbon source. Sucrose medium if autoclaved at pH 2.0, or a mixture of glucose and fructose instead of sucrose gave lower yields of citric acid. Under optimum conditions only citric acid was produced and the yield was 66-68 per litre after a growth period of about 10 days.     

Osmotic adjustment in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans.

Aspergillus nidulans was shown to be xerotolerant, with optimal radial growth on basal medium amended with 0.5 M NaCl (osmotic potential [psi s] of medium, -3 MPa), 50% optimal growth on medium amended with 1.6 M NaCl (psi s of medium, -8.7 MPa), and little growth on medium amended with 3.4 M NaCl (psi s of medium, -21 MPa). The intracellular content of soluble carbohydrates and of selected cations was measured after growth on basal medium, on this medium osmotically amended with NaCl, KCl, glucose, or glycerol, and also after hyperosmotic and hypoosmotic transfer. The results implicate glycerol and erythritol as the major osmoregulatory solutes. They both accumulated during growth on osmotically amended media, as well as after hyperosmotic transfer, except on glycerol-amended media, in which erythritol did not accumulate. Furthermore, they both decreased in amount after hypoosmotic transfer. With the exception of glycerol, the extracellular osmotic solute did not accumulate intracellularly when mycelium was grown in osmotically amended media, but it accumulated after hyperosmotic transfer. It was concluded that the extracellular solute usually plays only a transient role in osmotic adaptation. The intracellular content of soluble carbohydrates and cations measured could reasonably account for the intracellular osmotic potential of mycelium growing on osmotically amended media.     

Additive Effects of Alcohols, Their Acidic By-Products, and Temperature on the Yeast Pachysolen tannophilus

The effects of alcohols on the growth and fermentation of the yeast Pachysolen tannophilus were investigated at both 30 and 35°C. Addition of alcohols to the culture medium decreased both the growth rate and the final cell yield in a dose-dependent manner, and this decrease was more severe at 35°C. The concentration for 50% growth rate inhibition decreased as the chain length of the alcohol increased. In fermentations using a high initial cell density, production of acids was always observed when the medium was supplemented with alcohols. Supplementation of the culture medium with a short-chain alcohol plus the corresponding acid was shown to exert an additive deleterious effect on fermentation, and this effect increased with temperature. Production of acids was associated with the presence of alcohol dehydrogenase activity in cell extracts.     

Effects of amino acids, nitrate, and ammonium on the growth and taxol production in cell cultures of Taxus yunnanensis

The effects of concentration of amino acids, nitrate, and ammonium on the growth and taxol production in cultures of cell line TY-21 of Taxus yunnanensis were investigated. Addition of 20 different amino acids each at 15–20 mg l^–1 to B5 medium significantly improved callus growth but inhibited taxol formation in the cultures. The optimum nitrate concentration was 20–30 mM for both growth and taxol production. Ammonium greatly suppressed growth but strongly promoted taxol formation in the cells when it was the sole inorganic nitrogen in the medium. Culturing the suspension cells in nitrate-containing medium for 15 days and then in a medium in which ammonium was the sole inorganic nitrogen for 7 days increased taxol yield by 104%, reaching up to 28.1 mg l^–1.     

Bacterial synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates containing aromatic and aliphatic monomers by Pseudomonas putida CA-3

Pseudomonas putida CA-3 has the ability to accumulate to high levels unique polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) heteropolymers composed of aromatic and aliphatic monomers. The majority of monomers are aromatic making up 98% of the polymer. (R)-3-hydroxyphenylvalerate and (R)-3-hydroxyphenylhexanoate are the most abundant monomers found in polymers accumulated from phenylalkanoic acids with an uneven and even number of carbons on the acyl side chain respectively. PHAs accumulated from phenylvaleric and phenylhexanoic acid were partially crystalline while all other PHAs were amorphous. Significant differences in the yield and PHA content of the cells occurred when different phenylalkanoic acids were supplied as growth substrates. Increasing the initial concentration of the growth substrate increased both the PHA content of the cells and the overall yield (g PHA/g carbon supplied) of PHA accumulated by P. putida CA-3 cells. The highest PHA content (% cell dry wt.) from an aromatic carbon source was 59% when 15mM phenylvaleric acid was supplied as the sole source of carbon and energy. This corresponded to a maximum PHA yield of 0.42 g PHA/g carbon supplied. In and attempt to increase the level of PHA accumulated from related growth substrates acrylic acid was added to the growth medium. However, the addition of various concentrations of acrylic acid to the growth medium had either no effect or decreased the PHA content of the cell accumulated from phenylalkanoic acids by P. putida CA-3.     

Alteration of fatty acid composition of LM cells by lipid supplementation and temperature.

Alteration of the fatty acid composition of monolayer cultures of LM cells grown in chemically defined medium was achieved by supplementation with fatty acids complexed to bovine serum albumin. Phospholipids containing up to 40% linoleate were found in cells grown in medium containing 20 mu g of linoleate/ml. Incorporation of linoleate into phospholipids reached a plateau after 12-24 hr, and cells remained viable for at least 3-4 days. Although linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids were incorporated into LM cells equally well, only the latter was elongated by these cells under these experimental conditions. Nonadecanoic acid was incorporated to a lesser extent than the polyunsaturated fatty acids. Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine of LM cells had different fatty acid compositions; phosphatidylethanolamine contained more longer chain and unsaturated fatty acids. Cells were also grown in the absence of choline and presence of choline analogs such as N,N-dimethylethanolamine, N-methylethanolamine, 3-amino-1-propanol, and 1-2-amino-1-butanol. The analog phospholipids in these cells had fatty acid compositions which were intermediate between those of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine of control cells grown in the presence of choline. Linoleate was found in both phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine of cells supplemented with linoleate. The sphingolipid fraction of these cells, however, did not contain significant amounts of linoleate. When linoleate was present in the phospholipids, compensatory decreases in the oleate and palmitoleate content of phospholipids were observed. Lowering of the growth temperature to 28 degrees produced an increase in unsaturate fatty acid content of the phospholipids. When linoleate was supplied to cells grown at 28 degrees, there was no further increase in the unsaturated fatty acid composition of the phospholipids. Using both fatty acid supplementation and lowered growth temperature, LM cell membranes can be produced which have phospholipids with vastly different fatty acid compositions.