Modification of phospholipid composition in Pseudomonas by contact with tetradecyltrimethylammonium

BOERIS P; NIEVAS F; LUCCHESI G.

Rosario, Santa Fé

Congreso; SAIB; 2007

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en bioquimica y biología molecular

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) are cationic biocides included in antiseptic solutions.Some strains of Pseudomonas are resistant to QAC but little is know if the response to tetradecyltrimetylammonium (TDTMA), a QAC, involves changes in the phospholipid (PL) composition in species of Pseudomonas genus.P.putida KT2440 y P. aeruginosa PA01, were exposed to 50 mg/ml TDTMA for 15 min and PL composition was analyzed.In presence and absence of TDTMA, the PL pattern was qualitatively the same but the amount of each individual PL, measured by Pi concentration or Pi *32 changed. Respect to control values, all strains showed an increase in phosphatidic acid (PA)(140%).Accompanying this change, phosphatidylglycerol increased 100% and cardiolipin decreased 60%. P.putida A ATCC 12633 was cultivated in a media containing gradually increasing TDTMA concentrations. Following the last culture grown in the presence of TDTYMA (280 mg/ml) seccessive subcultures without TDTMA werev made. In TDTMA-adapted bacteria the most significant change was a 380% increase in PA. This change was reverted after two subcultures whitout biocide. These results suggest that PL are involved in cellular responses to QAC, utilizing PA principally to neutralize the high positive charge density given for the TDTMA moiety.