Mechanism for adaptive modification during cold acclimation of phospholipid acyl chain composition in Tetrahymena

Acclimation of Tetrahymena thermophila to bulk and nano-TiO2 particles by changes in membrane fatty acids saturation

We provide experimental evidence that changes in the membrane fatty acid profile of Tetrahymena thermophila incubated with nano- or bulk TiO(2) particle are not accompanied by ROS generation or lipid peroxidation. Consequently these changes are interpreted as acclimation to unfavorable conditions and not as toxic effects. T. thermophila cells were exposed to TiO(2) particles at different concentrations for 24h at 32°C. Treatment of cultures with nano- and bulk TiO(2) particles resulted in changes of membrane fatty acid profile, indicating increased membrane rigidity, but no lipid peroxidation or ROS generation was detected. There were no differences in membrane composition when T. thermophila was exposed to nanosized or bulk-TiO(2) particles. We also observed reversible filling of food vacuoles, but this was different in case of nano- or bulk TiO(2) exposure. Our results suggest that interactions of particles and cell membranes are independent of oxidative stress.

Adaptive regulation of membrane lipids and fluidity during thermal acclimation in Tetrahymena

The free-living eukaryotic protozoan Tetrahymena is a potentially useful model for the thermoadaptive membrane regulation because of easy growth in the axenic culture, systematic isolation of subcellular organelles, and quick response to temperature stress. Exposure of Tetrahymena cells to the cold temperature induces marked alterations in the lipid composition and the physical properties (fluidity) of various membranes. The increase in fatty acid unsaturation of membrane phospholipids is required to preserve the proper fluidity. In this homeoviscous adaptive response, acyl-CoA desaturase plays a pivotal role and its activity is regulated by induction of the enzyme via transcriptional activation.

Temperature acclimation of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote and metacyclic trypomastigote lipids

This study examines the changes in cellular lipids that take place when Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes and metacyclic trypomastigotes are transferred from 28 to 37 degrees C. We found a rise in the sterol to phospholipid ratio, as well as in the triacylglycerol and steryl ester cellular content in T. cruzi epimastigotes. In addition, saturated to unsaturated fatty acid ratios in phospholipids increase. This latter effect appears to be due to two concurrent processes. Firstly, fatty acyl delta9 and, especially, delta12 desaturations are significantly diminished at 37 degrees C. Secondly, triacylglycerols and steryl esters undergo changes in their fatty acyl composition opposite to those simultaneously observed in phospholipids, i.e. the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids markedly decreases. Similar alterations in each of the lipid classes and in the fatty acid composition of polar and neutral lipids were found in cultured metacyclic trypomastigotes on exposure to the same shift-up. These observations suggest that a global remodeling of cellular lipids that involves extensive fatty acid exchange between neutral and polar lipid pools represents a novel and important mechanism of adaptation of the parasites to the temperature changes they encounter in their life cycle.

Regulation of the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids by growth temperature in Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis synthesizes, almost exclusively, saturated fatty acids, when grown at 37 degrees C. When cultures were transferred from 37 degrees C to 20 degrees C, a chloramphenicol- and rifampicin-sensitive synthesis of a C-16 unsaturated fatty acid was observed. Synthesis of this compound reached a plateau after 5 h at 20 degrees C, reaching levels of 20% of the total fatty acid content. [14C]-labelled fatty acids attached as thioesters to acyl-carriers compounds, such as coenzyme A (CoA) or acyl-carrier protein (ACP) synthesized de novo by glycerol-requiring auxotrophs deprived of glycerol to arrest phospholipid synthesis, could not be desaturated at 20 degrees C. Desaturation of these fatty acids was readily observed when glycerol was restored to the cultures allowing resumption of transfer of acyl-moieties from acyl-thioesters to phospholipid. It was also observed that depletion of the pools of CoA and ACP by starvation of pantothenate auxotrophs had no effect on the observed synthesis of unsaturated fatty acid at 20 degrees C. The overall results indicate that synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in B. subtilis is a cold-inducible process and that phospholipids are obligate intermediates in this fatty acid desaturation pathway.

Membrane acclimation by unicellular organisms in response to temperature change

Unicellular organisms possess a wide variety of molecular mechanisms for altering the lipid composition (and thereby the physical properties) of their membranes in response to changes in environmental temperature. These are discussed with a view to establish which of the mechanisms are of more importance to bacteria, algae, and protozoa in coping with extremes of temperature.

Alteration of membrane phospholipids in hypertrophied rat salivary glands induced by chronic administration of isoproterenol

Hypertrophy of parotid and submandibular glands, and elevated phospholipid content per gland in both were induced. However, phospholipid content per tissue weight increased only in the parotid gland. Sublingual gland phospholipids were unaffected with regard to the gland weight and phospholipid content; phospholipid class compositions were altered in each of the three glands, typically an increase of phosphatidylcholine and decreases of sphingomyelin and phosphatidic acid. Concerning fatty-acyl groups in phospholipid, prominent increase of octadecadienoic acid was observed in total and individual phospholipids of both parotid and submandibular glands. However, eicosatetraenoic acid decreased in the total phospholipids of these two glands. In the sublingual gland, phospholipids, fatty-acyl compositions were not changed by isoproterenol. The results suggest that isoproterenol-induced changes of membrane phospholipids are regulated by at least two different effects, one for fatty-acyl groups and another for base moieties of phospholipids.

Comparison of membrane phospholipid and its fatty acid compositions in developing rat salivary glands

1. Membrane phospholipid and its fatty acid compositions have been analyzed in 3- and 9-week-old rat salivary glands. 2. When compared between the three major glands (parotid, submandibular, sublingual) in adult rats, phospholipid compositions were similar, but for their fatty acid, characteristic properties from each phospholipid were shown. 3. Alterations in their compositions were also observed during development of the salivary glands.

Secreted phospholipases of the dimorphic fungus, Candida albicans; separation of three enzymes and some biological properties

Several phospholipases are secreted into the culture medium by growing yeast cells of Candida albicans 3125. DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography of concentrated culture filtrate revealed three separable fractions with phospholipase activities. Analysis of products of hydrolysis showed that the enzyme activities were lysophospholipase, lysophospholipase-transacylase and a phospholipase B.