Biosynthesis of fatty acids and triacylglycerols by 2,6,10,14-tetramethyl pentadecane-grown cells of Nocardia globerula 432

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters 2001-06, Vol.200 (2), p.195-200
• Main Authors: Alvarez, Héctor M., Souto, Maria F., Viale, Alberto, Pucci, Oscar H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetates - pharmacology; Acrylates - pharmacology; Acrylic acid; Acylglycerols; Atomic properties; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Biosynthesis; Carcinogens - pharmacology; Chain branching; Cultivation; Drug Interactions; Fatty acid; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - biosynthesis; Fatty Acids - chemistry; Fish oils; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics; Microbiology; Nitrogen; Nocardia - drug effects; Nocardia - metabolism; Nocardia globerula; Oxidation; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Pristane; Terpenes - pharmacology; Triacylglycerol; Triglycerides; Triglycerides - biosynthesis
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2001.tb10715.x

Abstract Nocardia globerula strain 432 was able to synthesize triacylglycerols (TAG) during cultivation on 2,6,10,14-tetramethyl pentadecane (pristane) under nitrogen-limiting conditions. Within these cells, 4,8,12-trimethyl tridecanoic acid was the major fatty acid detected. Fatty acids with an odd number of carbon atoms and minor amounts of even-numbered fatty acids were also observed. Experiments carried out with acrylic acid, an inhibitor of β-oxidation, suggested that odd-numbered fatty acids such as C15:0, C17:0 and 10-methyl C17:0 were synthesized de novo using propionyl-CoA, the β-oxidation product, as precursor. Although N. globerula 432 incorporated mainly straight chain fatty acids into TAG, the branched fatty acid 4,8,12-trimethyl tridecanoic acid also appeared, to some extent, in the acylglycerols. The importance of TAG biosynthesis by pristane-grown cells of N. globerula strain 432 is discussed.