Viability and respiratory activity of post-exponential phase cultures of Micrococcus lysodeikticus (M. luteus) decreased with time more rapidly in carotenoidless mutants than in a parent pigmented strain. The concentration of menaquinone, the respiratory quinone, was found to be low in carotenoidless mutants and in cultures of the pigmented strain where carotenoid synthesis had been partially blocked by diphenylamine. Cell suspensions incorporated [2-14C]mevalonate into menaquinone. Carotenoidless strains incorporated label at substantially higher rates than did the pigmented wild-type strain. Gently prepared membranes of M. lysodeikticus also incorporated mevalonate into menaquinone suggesting that the enzymes for the isoprenoid pathway are bound (loosely) to the membrane. Carotenoidless membranes with low concentrations of menaquinone incorporated radioactivity from [2-14C]mevalonate into quinone more rapidly than did membranes from the wild-type. Azide inhibited the incorporation but n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide did not.
It is concluded that the low concentrations of menaquinone in carotenoidless strains are due to rapid breakdown of the quinone. Carotenoid is therefore seen as protecting menaquinone from breakdown by factors as yet unidentified.
AllenC. M., AlworthW., MacraeA., BlochK.1967; A long-chain terpenyl pyrophosphate synthetase from Micrococcus lyso- deikticus.. Journal of Biological Chemistry 242:1895–1902
AllenC. M., KeenanM. V., SackJ.1976; Lactobacillus plantarum undecaprenyl pyrophosphate synthetase. Purification and reaction requirements.. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 175:236–248
AndersonS. M., KrinskyN. I.1973; Protective action of carotenoid pigments against photodynamic damage to liposomes.. Photochemistry and Photobiology 18:403–408
AnwarM., PrebbleJ.1977; The photoinactivation of the respiratory chain in Sarcina lutea (Micrococcus luteus) and protection by endogenous carotenoid.. Photochemistry and Photobiology 26:475–481
BoucherF., Van Der RestM., GingrasG.1977; Structure and function of carotenoids in the photoreaction center from Rhodospirillum rubrum.. Biochimica et biophysica acta 461:339–357
CogdellR. J., MongerT. C., ParsonW. W.1975; Carotenoid triplet states in reaction centres from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides and Rhodo- spirillum rubrum.. Biochimica et biophysica acta 408:189–199
CcgdellR. J., ParsonW. W., KerrM. A.1976; The type, amount, location and energy transfer properties of the carotenoid in reaction centres from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides.. Biochimica et biophysica acta 430:83–93
GoldenbaumP. E., KeyserP. D., WhiteD. C.1975; Role of vitamin K2 in the organisation and function of Staphylococcus aureus membranes.. Journal of Bacteriology 121:442–449
IshikawaS., LehningerA. L.1962; Reconstitution of oxidative phosphorylation in preparations from Micrococcus lysodeikticus.. Journal of Biological Chemistry 237:2401–2408
JeffriesL., CawthorneM. A., HarrisM., DiplockA. T., GreenJ., PriceS. A.1967; Distribution of menaquinones in aerobic Micrococcaceae.. Nature, London 215:257–259
KandutschA. A., PaulusA., LevinE., BlochK.1964; Purification of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthetase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus.. Journal of Biological Chemistry 239:2507–2515
KrogerA., DadakV.1969; On the role of quinones in bacterial electron transport. The respiratory system of Bacillus megaterium.. European Journal of Biochemistry 11:328–340
KurokawaT., OguraK., SetoS.1971; Formation of polyprenyl phosphates by a cell-free enzyme of Micrococcus lysodeikticus.. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 45:251–257
Mathews-RothM. M., KrinskyN. I.1970; Carotenoid pigments and the stability of the cell membrane of Sarcina lutea.. Biochimica et biophysica acta 203:357–359
PrebbleJ., TurnerJ.1978; Protection of endogenous quinone in Micrococcus lysodeikticus by carotenoid in the dark.. Fifth International Symposium on Carotenoids, Abstracts p. 59
SagamiH., OguraK., SetoS.1978; A new prenyl transferase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus.. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 85:572–578