Isolation and characterization of membranes from a hydrocarbon-oxidizing Acinetobacter sp

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Abstract
Membranes were isolated and purified from nutrient broth-yeast extract-and hexadecane-grown cells of Acinetobacter sp. strain HO1-N. Two membrane fractions were isolated from nutrient broth-yeast extract-grown cells, the cytoplasmic membrane and the outer membrane. In addition to these 2 membrane fractions, a unique membrane fraction was isolated from hexadecane-grown cells (band 1) and characterized as a lipid-rich, low-density membrane containing high concentrations of hexadecane. The outer membrane preparations of Acinetobacter, obtained from nutrient broth-yeast extract- and hexadecane-grown cells, exhibited a low ratio of lipid P to protein and contained phospholipase activity and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctulosonic acid. Phosphatidic acid cytidyltransferase, ATPase and NADH oxidase were recovered almost exclusively in the cytoplasmic membrane fractions. The cytoplasmic membrane fractions contained 20-25 polypeptide species on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, and the outer membrane fractions contained 15-20 polypeptide species. A major polypeptide species with an apparent MW of approximately 42,000 to 44,000 was found for all outer membrane fractions. The buoyant densities of the cytoplasmic membrane fractions and the outer membrane fractions were closely similar, necessitating their separation by differential centrifugation. Band 1 of hexadecane-grown cells had a ratio of lipid P to protein that was almost twice that of the cytoplasmic membrane and a correspondingly low buoyant density (1.086 g/cm3). Enzyme activities associated with band 1 were identical to those associated with the cytoplasmic membrane. The electrophoretic banding pattern of band 1 was essentially identical to the banding pattern of the cytoplasmic membrane. The phospholipid and neutral lipid compositions of the isolated membrane fractions were determined as qualitatively similar, with significant quantitative differences. The ultrastructure characteristics of the respective membrane fractions were examined by the negative-stain technique.

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