Question

In: Biology

You are growing a culture of bacteria with cells that can alter the composition of fatty...

You are growing a culture of bacteria with cells that can alter the composition of fatty acids in their membranes. Explain why, and in what way, a change in temperature alters the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in the cell membranes of your culture.

Solutions

Expert Solution

Temperature can affect the fluidity of membrane.  

To prevent the alteration in the fluidity of the membrane, bacteria alters their membrane fatty acid nature to keep constant fluidity of membrane.

Fluidity of membrane depends on two important feature of fatty acid

1. Fluidity is directly proportional to presence of unsaturated fatty acid.

More unsaturated fatty acids- more fluidity

Less unsaturated fatty acids- less fluid membrane

2) fluidity of membrane is indirectly proportional to length of the fatty acid.

More length of fatty acid- less fluidity

Short chain fatty acid - more fluidity to membrane.

----So bacteria living at low temperatures has more rigid plasma membrane due to less movement of fatty acid in the membrane. Here to maintain fluidity, this bacteria has short chain fatty acid along with more double bonds .

--- opposite to it bacteria living at higher temperatures has more fluid membrane due to increased movement of fatty acids due to increased energy provided. Here movement is restricted to maintain fluidity by having long chain saturated fatty acids.


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