Influence of growth conditions on the composition of the plasma membrane from yeast and on kinetic properties of two membrane functions

The influence of different growth conditions on the phospholipid composition and on two membrane functions, the Mg-ATPase and the purine transport system, was investigated. Addition of cholinechloride to the growth medium led to a certain rise in the amount of phosphatidylcholine, whereas supplementation with ethanolamine resulted in a considerably higher portion of phosphatidylethanolamine. When yeast cells were cultured at lower temperatures we found more short-chain fatty acids with a higher content of monounsaturated chains as compared to higher growth temperatures. Addition of paraquat, a herbicide which enhances lipid peroxidation by free radicals, reduced the amount of unsaturated fatty acids without influencing their chain length. The altered membrane composition had no influence on the basic mechanism of interaction between ATPase, MgATP, and free Mg2+ ions. However, several kinetic constants such as Km, Vmax, Ka, and especially Ki were influenced to some extent. Whereas the affinity of the purine transport system to its substrate was not significantly changed by the growth conditions, an effect on Vmax could be seen. Lower growth temperatures clearly led to higher maximal uptake velocities. The presence of paraquat during growth resulted in a considerable decrease of Vmax.