title: Alteration of the fatty acid composition of Escherichia coli by growth in the presence of normal alcohols.
abstract: The addition of normal alcohols in the series n-butanol to n-octanol to cultures of Escherichia coli ML308 grown on defined or lipid-free medium (at 17, 27, and 37 degrees C) caused an alteration in the fatty acid composition of this organism: the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids increased. Changes in the relative quantities of individual fatty acid species elicited by increasing concentrations of these alcohols were as follows: (i) myristic acid remained constant: (ii) palmitic acid increased; and (iii) the combined amount of palmitoleic plus cis-methylene hexadecanoic acids changed in a way which was reflected inversely by changes in the amount of cis-vaccenic acid. Comparable changes were not observed when cells were grown in the presence of n-nonanol and n-decanol in the concentration range tested. The changes observed upon addition of normal alcohols (n-butanol to n-octanol) paralleled, in part, the alterations in fatty acid composition observed when growth temperature was increased.
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000032:analysis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism*; D009227:Myristic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D010169:Palmitic Acids / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D009227:Myristic Acids; D010169:Palmitic Acids