Journal of Microbiology

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Purification and Structure Analysis of Mycolic Acids in Corynebacterium glutamicum: Yang Yang , Feng Shi , Guanjun Tao , Xiaoyuan Wang; J. Microbiol. 2012;50(2):235-240. Published online April 27, 2012; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-012-1459-0

Abstract: Corynebacterium glutamicum is widely used for producing amino acids. Mycolic acids, the major components in the cell wall of C. glutamicum might be closely related to the secretion of amino acids. In this study, mycolic acids were extracted from 5 strains of C. glutamicum, including ATCC 13032, ATCC 13869, ATCC 14067, L-isoleucine producing strain IWJ-1, and L-valine producing strain VWJ-1. Structures of these mycolic acids were analyzed using thin layer chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. More than twenty molecular species of mycolic acid were observed in all 5 strains. They differ in the length (20–40 carbons) and saturation (0–3 double bonds) of their constituent fatty acids. The dominant species of mycolic acid in every strain was different, but their two hydrocarbon chains were similar in length (14–18 carbons), and the meromycolate chain usually contained double bonds. As the growth temperature of cells increased from 30°C to 34°C, the proportion of mycolic acid species containing unsaturated and shorter hydrocarbon chains increased. These results provide new information on mycolic acids in C. glutamicum, and could be useful for modifying the cell wall to increase the production of amino acids.

Mycolic Acid-Containing Actinomycetes Associated with Activated Sludge Foam: Seong, Chi Nam , Kim, Young Sook , Baik, Keun Shik , Lee, Soon Dong , Hah, Yung Chil , Kim, Seung Bum , Goodfellow, Michael; J. Microbiol. 1999;37(2):66-72.

Abstract: Mycolic acid-containing actinomycetes associated with extensive foaming in the aeration basin of the activated sludge process were isolated and analyzed by phenotypical, chemotaxonomical and phylogenetic methods. Whole cell sugar patterns of two isolates were pattern A. The nearly complete sequences of the 16S rRNA genes (rDNAs) of the isolates were determined and compared by using several tree-making algorithms. With polyphasic methods, strain SCNU1 was identified as Gordona sputi, and strain SCNU5 assigned to the genus Tsukamurella. The presence of opportunistic pathogens of chronic lung infections within foams can cause public health problems and render waste-treatment processes inefficient.

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