Alteration in phospholipid composition of Staphylococcus aureus during formation of autoplast

The phospholipid composition of autoplasts (protoplasts made by autolysis of Staphylococcus aureus 209P was examined. The autoplasts were prepared by incubation of 209P cells in 1.2 M sucrose--0.33 M acetate buffer (pH 5.8). Cardiolipin comprised nearly half the total phospholipid in these autoplasts. Autoplasts had a lower phosphatidylglycerol content than intact cells but similar lysylphosphatidylglycerol content. The increase in cardiolipin content during release of autoplasts was not affected by pH or temperature. The result indicates that removal of the cell wall caused the increase in cardiolipin content. The total amount of phospholipids increased slightly during autoplast formation, but there was no significant increase in fatty acids or diglycerides. The changes of phospholipid composition during formation of the autoplast was due to de novo synthesis of cardiolipin from phosphatidylglycerol.