Incorporation of Specific Fatty Acid Precursors During Spore Germination and Outgrowth in \u3ci\u3eBacillus thuringiensis\u3c/i\u3e

The selective incorporation of precursors specific for individual fatty acids in germinating and outgrowing spores of Bacillus thuringiensis is described. The specific precursors utilized were [14C]butyrate, -isobutyrate, -valerate, and -isovalerate, which were incorporated into even-numbered normal-chain isomers, even-numbered iso-isomers, odd-numbered normal-chain acids, and odd-numbered isohomologs, respectively. This preferential incorporation by B. thuringiensis allows the terminal carbons of specific normal and branched-chain fatty acids, contained within the cytoplasmic membrane, to be labeled with 14C and, potentially, 13C