News & Notes: The Effect of Ethanol and Oxygen on the Growth of Zymomonas mobilis and the Levels of Hopanoids and Other Membrane Lipids

Zymomonas mobilis (ATCC 29191) was grown either aerobically or anaerobically in the presence of 2% (wt/vol) glucose and 0, 3, or 6% (vol/vol) ethanol. The rates of growth and the composition of hopanoids, cellular fatty acids, and other lipids in the bacterial membranes were quantitatively analyzed. The bacterium grew in the presence of 3% and 6% ethanol and was more ethanol tolerant when grown anaerobically. In the absence of ethanol, hopanoids comprised about 30% (by mass) of the total cellular lipids. Addition of ethanol to the media caused complex changes in the levels of hopanoids and other lipids. However, there was not a significant increase in any of the hopanoid lipid classes as ethanol concentration was increased. As previously reported, vaccenic acid was the most abundant fatty acid in the lipids of Z. mobilis, and its high constitutive levels were unaffected by the variations in ethanol and oxygen concentrations. A cyclopropane fatty acid accounted for 2.6–6.4 wt % of the total fatty acids in all treatments. Received: 12 November 1996 / Accepted: 25 February 1997