Sensitive change of iso-branched fatty acid (iso-15:0) in Bacillus pumilus PAMC 23174 in response to environmental changes

In this study, the environmental adaptive metabolic processes were investigated using a psychrotrophic polar bacterium Bacillus pumilus PAMC 23174 in response to various temperatures and nutrients, especially in regard to the synthesis of fatty acids. Fatty acid methyl ester analysis was performed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and we found that a sensitive changes in iso-branched fatty acid (iso-15:0) synthesis occurred when adjusting the nutritional ratio of branched chain fatty acids (anteiso/iso) with different temperatures, resulting in a change in the balance of anteiso- and iso-form fatty acids. We also observed that this Arctic bacterium preferred amino acid leucine for the synthesis of fatty acids. The increased and decreased synthesis of iso-form fatty acids in response to different temperatures and leucine preference, changes the fatty acid ratio in bacteria, which further affects the membrane fluidity and it is also directly correlated with survival of bacteria in an extreme environment. Hence, this study suggests that B. pumilus PAMC 23174 is a potential model organism for the analysis of the unique ecological adaptations of polar bacteria in changing and the extreme environments.