Adaptive changes in cardiolipin content of Staphylococcus aureus grown in different salt concentrations

Adaptive changes in cardiolipin content were examined in Staphylococcus aureus 209P using the 32P pulse-labelling method. Cardiolipin synthesis showed increased adaptation when cells grown in normal medium were transferred into high NaCl containing medium. When S. aureus cultured in 10% NaCl medium was transferred back to normal medium, cardiolipin concentration decreased to the normal level within 3 hours. The catabolic rate of cardiolipin in the cells was much slower in the 5% NaCl medium than in normal medium. The cardiolipin synthetase activity was examined by isolated membrane fraction from S. aureus grown both in normal and 10% NaCl medium. The activity was higher by two-fold in membrane fractions from cells cultured in 10% NaCl-containing medium than in membranes from cells cultured in normal medium.</p

Ultrastructural alteration of the cell surface of Staphylococcus aureus cultured in a different salt condition

Staphylococcus aureus growing in a normal NaGI medium has a specific NaGI tolerance property to grow in the medium contain. ing NaGl in as high a concentration as over 10%. In our comparative study of the cells proliferating in the normal NaGI medium and 10% NaGl medium, we have observed the following differences aside from the changes of lipid composition in the cytoplasmic membrane previously reported. 1. S. aureus grown in high NaGl medium undergoes changes as to increase its size and reduce its surface area. 2. The thickness and weight of cell wall are increased to about 1. 7 times and 1. 32 times, respectively. 3. The protoplast prepared from S. aureus growing in the high NaGI medium shows a weaker resistance to hypotonic condition than that from normal cell.</p

Alteration of the Lipid Composition in the White Leghorn Chicken Liver at Various Stages of Growth

The effects of growth on the lipid composition of liver from the white leghorn were studied. The studies were designed to determine liver dry weight, per cent total lipid, per cent neutral lipid, per cent phospholipid, neutral lipid class composition, phospholipid class composition and fatty acid composition at 0, 1, 2, 4, 7 and 18 days after hatch. 1. Neutral lipid content abruptly decreased but phospholipid slightly increased with ages after hatch. 2. Neutral lipid was fractionated further into cholesterol esters, cholesterol and mono-, di and triglycerides. The chicken just after hatch showed considerably high levels of cholesterol esters and cholesterol which decreased dramatically with growth, while it showed low level of glycerides which increased slightly. 3. Phospholipid was composed of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, cardiolipin, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol. Cardiolipin and phosphatidylethanolamine increased along with growth while hardly and difference could be seen in the composition of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol. 4. The principal fatty acids of neutral lipid as well as of phospholipid were myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids. The unsaturation degree of fatty acids constituting both lipids were found to be decreased with growth. The greater part of the decrease in unsaturation degree of neutral lipid could be accounted for by the decrease in oleic and the increase in palmitic acid. The decrease in unsaturation of phospholipid was mainly due to the decrease in arachidonic acid