The biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids by bacilli. IV. Temperature-mediated control mechanisms

Rapid induction of microsomal delta 12(omega 6)-desaturase activity in chilled Acanthamoeba castellanii

The activity of microsomal delta 12-desaturase in Acanthamoeba castellanii was increased after growing cultures were chilled from the optimal growth temperature (30 degrees C) to 15 degrees C. This increase was detectable in microsomes isolated from organisms subjected to only 10 min chilling. The mechanism of induction was investigated. The increase in activity on chilling was greatly reduced when protein synthesis was blocked before the temperature shift. Thus the major mechanism for the induction of delta 12-desaturase is increased protein synthesis. delta 12-Desaturase activity was higher when assayed at 20 degrees C than when assayed at 30 degrees C, but these changes were not due to the increased solubility of O2 at 20 degrees C. The major substrate of delta 12-desaturase was found to be 1-acyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine.

Thermal modulation of fatty acid synthesis in Escherichia coli does not involve de novo enzyme synthesis

An increased ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids was synthesized within 30 s after shift of Escherichia coli K-12 from 42 degrees C to 24 degrees C. This was more than 10-fold faster than the induction of beta-galactosidase. Inhibition of ribonucleic acid or protein synthesis had no effect on the response of fatty acid synthesis to temperature shift.