Influence of growth conditions on Pseudomonas fluorescens strains: a link between metabolite production and the PLFA profile.

Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) are essential constituents of cell membranes. PLFA fingerprints can be used to monitor the impact of growth conditions on bacteria because the fatty acid composition is closely linked to the growth environment. Through statistical analyses, clusters can be shown connecting the PLFA of Pseudomonas fluorescens with the growth condition. The metabolite production/excretion by bacteria is shown to be related to such clusters. This suggests that modification of the cell membrane, due to the variations in the fatty acid composition, is linked to the presence of metabolites in the bacterial culture media.