JBC, Vol. 250, Issue 18, 7147-7152, Sep, 1975
Mutants of Escherichia coli defective in membrane phospholipid synthesis. Properties of wild type and Km defective sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activities
R. M. Bell
The sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (glycerol-P) acyltransferase, the first enzyme
of membrane phospholipid synthesis in Escherichia coli, was investigated in
a wild type and a mutant strain defective in this activity. The mutant
strain, selected as a glycerol-P auxotroph, was previously shown to contain
a glycerol-P acyltransferase activity with an apparent Km for glycerol-P 10
times higher than that of its parent or revertants. The membranous mutant
glycerol-P acyltransferase but did not appear to be thermolabile in vivo.
Revertants no longer requiring glycerol-P for growth, showed glycerol-P
acyltransferase activity with thermolability properties similar to the wild
type. The second phospholipid biosynthetic enzyme, 1-acylglycerol-P
acyltransferase, was not thermolabile in membranes containing a
thermolabile glycerol-P acyltransferase activity. The pH optimum for the
mutant acyltransferase was over 1 pH unit higher than that of the parental
activity. Further, the mutant and wild type glycerol-P acyltransferase
differed in their response to magnesium chloride and potassium chloride.
The palmitoyl-CoA dependence of the wild type and mutant glycerol-P
acyltransferase activities were different. The mutant glycerol-P
acyltransferase activity was inhibited greater than 90% by Triton X-100
under conditions where the wild type activity was not affected. These
experiments provide novel information about the wild type glycerol-P
acyltransferase activity of E. coli and provide six additional lines of
evidence for the mutant character of the glycerol-P acyltransferase in the
mutant strains.