Eicosapentaenoic acid plays a beneficial role in membrane organization and cell division of a cold-adapted bacterium, Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10.

ABSTRACT: Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10, a psychrotrophic gram-negative bacterium isolated from Antarctic seawater, produces eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) as a component of phospholipids at low temperatures. EPA constitutes about 5% of the total fatty acids of cells grown at 4 degrees C. We found that five genes, termed orf2, orf5, orf6, orf7, and orf8, are specifically required for the synthesis of EPA by targeted disruption of the respective genes. The mutants lacking EPA showed significant growth retardation at 4 degrees C but not at 18 degrees C. Supplementation of a synthetic phosphatidylethanolamine that contained EPA at the sn-2 position complemented the growth defect. The EPA-less mutant became filamentous, and multiple nucleoids were observed in a single cell at 4 degrees C, indicating that

SUBMITTER: Kawamoto J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2620826 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature