Fatty acid composition of the estuarine Flexibacter sp. strain Inp: effect of salinity, temperature and carbon source for growth

Summary: The total fatty acid content of the estuarine Flexibacter sp. strain Inp and the relative proportions of its constituent fatty acids were affected by growth temperature and salinity. Whilst both the proportion and concentration of the polyunsaturates were markedly stimulated by increases in salinity, the total amount of fatty acid per mg cell protein decreased. The highest concentration of fatty acid per mg cell protein did not coincide with the highest percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which occurred when the bacterium was grown on glucose. The presence of an inverse relationship between C16: 1w5 and C18: 1w9 are regarded as evidence that two different pathways exist for the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in Flexibacter strain Inp.