Phytanyl-glycerol ethers and squalenes in the archaebacterium Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1978 · J. Mol. Evol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01734487· OSTI ID:6926203

Tornabene, T G ^[1]; Wolfe, R S; Balch, W E; Holzer, G; Fox, G E; Oro, J

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1. Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins

The lipids of a thermophilic chemolithotroph, Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, have been analyzed by chromatographic techniques and identified by infrared spectrometry and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Of the total chloroform soluble lipids 79% and 21% are polar and non-polar lipids, respectively. The major components of the polar lipids are dialkyl ethers of glycerol or its derivatives. The nature of the glycerol ether alkyl groups was found to be that of the saturated tetraacyclic acyclic isoprenoid hydrocarbon phytane. The non-polar lipids of the chloroform soluble fraction consist principally of three series of C/sub 20/, C/sub 25/ and C/sub 30/ isoprenoid hydrocarbons, the major components being squalene and a continuous range of hydrosqualene derivatives, from dihydrosqualene up to and including dehydrosqualene. These data establish that M. thermoautotrophicum contains predominantly non-saponifiable lipids as do Halobacterium, Halococcus, Sulfolobus and Thermoplasma. In particular, the composition of the chloroform soluble lipids of M. thermoautotrophicum is quite similar to that of Halobacterium cutirubrum. The results strongly support the recent proposal, based on 16S rRNA sequence homologies, that the extreme halophiles and methanogens share a common ancestor. In addition, it is pointed out that the occurrence of phytane and related polyisoprenoid compounds in ancient sediments can no longer be considered unequivocally as indicative of past photosynthetic activity. Finally, speculations are made concerning the possible role of and evolutionary significance of the presence of squalene and hydrosqualenes in these organisms. To our knowledge this is the first report of squalene and hydrosqualenes in a strictly anaerobic microorganism.

• OSTI ID: 6926203
• Journal Information: J. Mol. Evol.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Mol. Evol.; (United States) Vol. 11; ISSN JMEVA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550200 -- Biochemistry
550700* -- Microbiology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ALCOHOLS
BACTERIA
BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
BIOLOGY
CELL CULTURES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
DATA
ETHERS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
GLYCEROL
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
LIPIDS
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
METHANOGENIC BACTERIA
MICROORGANISMS
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLYENES
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RNA
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPECTROSCOPY
SQUALENE
TERPENES