STUDY OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AND ITS STABLE L-FORM VARIANT: CHANGES IN CELLULAR COMPOSITION AS A FUNCTION OF LONG-CHAIN FATTY ACID SUPPLEMENTATION OF CULTURE MEDIUM

Abstract

The effects of various long-chain fatty acids supplied in the culture medium on fatty acid composition in a strain of Staphylococcus aureus (SA-36) and its stable L-form variant (SL-36) are described. L-form variant SL-36 did not grow on a medium supplemented with oleic acid or linoleic acid. Neither L-form nor bacterial parent grew in media supplemented with palmitoleic acid. Gas-liquid chromatography profiles were obtained on isolated cell fractions by thin-layer chromatography after the microorganisms had been cultivated in each experimental medium. Analysis of fatty acids derived from bacterial strain SA-36 showed that the major fatty acid peaks reflected the particular fatty acids used as supplements. SA-36 incorporated heptadecanoic, oleic, and linoleic acids although none of these is normally encountered in this microorganism after cultivation in conventional media. In contrast to the bacterial parent, fatty acids appearing in isolates of L-form SL-36 after growth in each experimental medium were found to be semi-independent of fatty acid supplementation. Additionally, SL-36 incorporated heptadecanoic acid, although this fatty acid was not detectable when SL-36 was grown in unsupplemented media. Tuberculostearic acid was detected uniquely in the L-form following cultivation in diverse experimental media.