Relationships Between Oleic Acid Uptake and Lipid Metabolism inMycobacterium smegmatis1

Abstract

Mycobacterium smegmatis rapidly incorporated tracer amounts of oleic acid into triglycerides. When cells were incubated with greater amounts of oleate, the fatty acid was incorporated into triglycerides with saturating kinetics, after which the fatty acid taken up remained free in the cytoplasm as globules. Most of the oleate incorporated into the triglycerides was added to the carbon 3 position of the molecule.