# CELL DIFFERENTIATION OF PROCARYOTIC ORGANISMS

> **NIH NIH R01** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 1987 · $140,393

## Abstract

The overal objective of the research to be conducted is to achieve an
understanding of how the unique alkyl resorcinols and pyrones (which are
the membrane lipids in encysting cells and cysts) are synthesized, are
inserted into the bilayer and how they function in the membrane.

The Beta-ketoacyl synthases of vegetative and encysting cells of
Azotobacter vinelandii will be purified and compared with respect to their
products, kinetics and immunological relationship.  The objective is to
test the theory that resorcinol synthesis during encystment requires a new
form of the enzyme which can catalyze the formation of saturated acyl
chains of C25 to C30.  The vegetative cell synthase will only catalyze the
formation of C16 chains.  If different, the DNA coding for the encystment
enzyme will be cloned and a test will be made of its ability to hybridize
with nRNA templates of the vegetative Beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase.  If
positive, attempts will be made to sequence cloned DNA of enzyme.  The
encystment enzyme DNA will be used as a probe to establish any relationship
between its sequence of those derived from plants which also produce long
chain alkyl resorcinols.

The symmetry of phospholipid degradation in membranes of encysting cells
will be studied using trinitrophenylation of phosphotidydlethanolanine to
study that P-lipid concentration on each face of the lipid bilayer.  The
insertion of resorcinols into the changing bilayer will be observed in a
like manner using diazobenzene sulfonate.  The extrinsic proteins of the
membrane will be identified by 14C labeling and an attempt will be made to
correlate changes in protein species with shifts in lipid bilayer
composition.  Glucose and calcium transport in cells, cysts, and
germinating cysts will be studied as a test of the effects of radical
changes in lipid bilayer composition on the function of the membrane's
intrinsic proteins.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3124091
- **Project number:** 5R01AI001863-30
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** R28EKN92ZTZ9
- **Principal Investigator:** HAROLD L. SADOFF
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $140,393
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1976-01-01 → 1988-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3124091

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3124091, CELL DIFFERENTIATION OF PROCARYOTIC ORGANISMS (5R01AI001863-30). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3124091. Licensed CC0.

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