Relationship between the phospholipids composition and the resistance of P. putida to bactericidal activity of tetradecyltrimethylammonium

BOERIS, PS; LIFFOURRENA, AS; LUCCHESI, GI

VIlla Giardino, Córdoba

Jornada; XV Jornadas Científicas de la Sociedad de Biología de Córdoba; 2005

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC’s) are commercial chemicals commonly used in a variety of products. P. putida A ATCC 12633 tolerate and degrade high concentrations of QAC tetradecyltrimethylammonium (TDTMA). In this work, the relationship between the membrane phospholipids (PL) composition and the resistance of P. putida to the bactericidal activity of TDTMA was investigated. The strain was grown on a high inorganic phosphate basal salt liquid medium with glucose and NH4Cl until the culture reached at OD660 = 1. On this point the culture was divided and exposed to 50 mg l-1 of TDTMA during 15 and 30 min. P. putida showed an increase in total PL (143 %) after 15 min of exposition to TDTMA. After 30 min, the PL level was similar to the one observed in TDTMA absence. At 30 min, the response involved alterations in the PL composition: cardiolipin decreased about 65 % respect to control whereas phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylglycerol increased 220 % and 313 %, respectively. The increase in total of PL and specific variations of P. putida PL expose to TDTMA suggest a mechanism to repair damaged membranes. This, associated to that P. putida, as a single organism, is capable to tolerate and degrade high concentrations of TDTMA, revealed the potential of this strain for the efficient biological removal of this or similar QACs.