Polar lipids of Chromatium strain D grown at different light intensities.

The total amount and the composition of polar lipids of the photosynthetic bacterium Chromatium strain D grown in high (7,500 ft/c) and low (100 ft/c) incident white light were measured. Cells grown with low incident light as compared with cells grown in high incident light contained approximately 3.5 times more chlorophyll and contained significantly more internal membranes (chromatophores) as determined by electron microscopy. Nevertheless, there was approximately 40% more phospholipid in cells grown at 7,500 ft/c than in cells grown with 100 ft/c; the phospholipid composition of the cells was similar under both conditions of growth. These observations lead us to suggest that the organization and perhaps localization of the phospholipids in Chromatium may be dependent on the light intensity supplied during growth.