Lipid composition and protoplast-forming capacity of Streptomyces antibioticus.

The lipid and fatty acid composition of a strain of Streptomyces antibioticus has been studied as a function of culture age and glycine concentration in the growth medium. Under all conditions, the main polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, cardiolipin and phosphomannoinositides in order of decreasing abundance; no ornithinolipids were detected. Acylglucoses and menaquinones were found among the nonpolar lipids. The main fatty acids present were anteiso 15:0 and anteiso 17:0. The lipid composition of the cells varied with the age of the culture, but no uniform pattern of variation was found in the cultures grown on different amounts of glycine. Among the cells harvested at the end of the exponential phase of growth, those grown on 2% glycine give the highest yield of protoplast formation. These cells were found to contain low amounts of nonpolar lipids and of phosphatidylethanolamine, and high proportions of anteiso fatty acids. We propose that the membrane bilayer of these cells, because of its peculiar lipid composition, is particularly stable and fluid. As a consequence, the yield and stability of derived protoplasts should be increased.