Carotenoid pigments of an antarctic psychrotrophic bacterium Micrococcus roseus: temperature dependent biosynthesis, structure, and interaction with synthetic membranes.

Pigmentation in a psychrotrophic M.roseus was found to be increased when the bacteria were grown at 5 degrees C as compared to its pigmentation at 25 degrees C. In addition more polar pigments were synthesised at low temperature. The pigments were identified as bacterioruberins and were demonstrated to bind to synthetic membranes of phosphatidylcholine with almost equal affinity, irrespective of the polarity of the pigments.