Effects of growth conditions on the lipid composition of Bifidobacterium bifidum subsp. pennsylvanicum

Lipid-phosphorus and lipid-galactose content and phospholipid and fatty acid composition of Bifidobacterium bifidum subsp. pennsylvanicum were examined under a wide variety of growth conditions. Cells from 29-C cultures contained less lipid-phosphorus than did cells from 37-C cultures, but their lipid-galactose content and phospholipid composition did not differ. At both temperatures, the growth phase influenced the lipid composition similarly.Phosphate, Mg²⁺ and K⁺ concentrations in the medium did neither significantly change the cellular lipid-phosphorus content nor the phospholipid composition. Only Mg²⁺-deficiency markedly reduced growth and lowered the content of cellular lipid-galactose.Omission of Tween 80 from the medium did not affect growth, but lowered the content of lipid-galactose and augmented those of lipid-phosphorus and diphosphatidylglycerol in the cell. Increased osmolarity and substitution of other Tweens for Tween 80 caused the same changes in lipid composition, and besides inhibited growth. Omitting Tween 80 and replacing it by other Tweens dramatically reduced the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids. C₁₂- and C₁₄-fatty acids made up about 50% of total fatty acids in cells from Tween 20 cultures and 12–14% in cells from Tween 40 and Tween 60 cultures. The differences in the decline of unsaturated fatty acids and in the degree of replacement of these acids by C₁₂- and C₁₄-fatty acids may be related to the variations in growth in cultures with various Tweens by way of changes in the physical state of the membrane lipids.The present investigations have been carried out with financial support from the Netherlands Organization for the Advancement of Pure Research (ZWO) through the Netherlands Foundation for Chemical Research (SON).