Studies on the Surface Structure of Fungi
II. Alteration in cellular permeability and antibiotic effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae due to fatty acids
1967 Volume 22 Issue 11-12 Pages 634-640
Details
1967 Volume 22 Issue 11-12 Pages 634-640
The results of our experiments presented here support the conclusion that an early and specific effect of sodium fatty acid is a change of permeability resulting in loss of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell content.
Several sodium fatty acids were examined during the course of an investigation on induced weight loss in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The weight loss was caused by sodium caprylate, caprate, undecylenate and laurate at concentration of 6×10-2 M and the pattern of weight change with time induced by them were very similar.
Fig. 1 indicates that the effect of the sodium fatty acid (undecylenate in this experiment) was relatively independent on the age of the mycelium usedas “inoculum” since the fatty acid caused essentially the the same weight loss after five hours in all cases.
The nature of the weight loss caused by sodium undecylenate was examined more detail. The decrease in weight clearly began at concentration of 0.2×10-2 M of sodium undecylenate.
Potassium, sodium and strontium ion did not infuluence entierly on sodium undecylenate action. Calcium, Magnesium and Barium ion repressed and on the contrary ammonium ion accelerated the weight loss with sodium undecylenate.
The electronmicroscopic observation of whole cell or thin section showed that these agents intensively caused plasmolysis of the cell.
Sodium caprylate, caprate, undecylenante and laurate showed strong inhibition on the growth ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaeat 3.7×10-3 M, 9.4×10-4 M, 1.8×10-4 M and 3.7×10-4 M but sodium acetate, valerianate and caproate did not show inhibition even at 6.0×10-2 M.
