Effect of temperature on the lipid and fatty acid composition of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.

In Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, the total lipid content is increased by decreasing the temperature of the growth medium. Thin layer chromatography of phospholipids revealed the presence of phosphatidy glycerols (PG) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the bacterium when grown at 26 degrees and 37 degrees C. Cardiolipin (CL) is present only in the bacterium grown at 37 degrees C, while lysophosphatidylglycerol (LPG) is present only in the bacterium grown at 26 degrees C. Unidentified phospholipids designated X1 was present in the bacterium at the two temperatures and X2 was only detected at 26 degrees C. Fatty acid unsaturation increased with decreasing temperature. Hexadecenoic acid (C16:1) content increased as the temperature was reduced to 26 degrees C. At lower temperature, stearic, oleic, linoleic, eicosanoic and linolenic acids were decreased. These observations support the view that regulation of membrane adaptation and the mechanism behind the responses might be more complex than is generally believed.