Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes grows at low temperatures by altering its bacterial membrane composition to increase membrane fluidity, primarily by decreasing the length of fatty acid (FA) chains and increasing the anteiso to iso FA ratio. FabH, the initiator of fatty acid synthesis, was identified as the primary determinant of membrane FA composition; the extent of this effect has not been quantified. In this study, previously determined FabH steady‐state parameters and substrate concentrations were used to calculate expected fatty acid compositions at 30 and 10 C. FabH substrates 2‐methylbutyryl‐CoA, isobutyryl‐CoA, and isovaleryl‐CoA produce the primary FA in L. monocytogenes, i.e., anteiso, even chain length iso, and odd chain length iso fatty acids, respectively. The substrate in vivo concentrations were not all resolved and were calculated from overall FA composition and FabH steady‐state parameters. Concentrations were confirmed by supplementing media with precursors of FabH substrates and comparing the FA compositions to those expected from FabH activity. The same relative substrate concentrations were used to calculate the expected FA compositions at 10 °C and our model predicted a greater change in FA composition than was observed, indicative of an additional control step guiding fatty acid composition at low temperatures. This research supported by NIH Grants GM061583 to CG and AI099977 to BJW.
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