Sphingolipid synthesis deficiency in a mutant of Bacteroides levii

Conference · Thu May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986 · Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6986122

Brumleve, B; Lev, M

Bacteroides levii, an anaerobic bacterium, synthesizes two sphingolipids; the sphingomyelin analogue, ceramide phosphorylethanolamine (CPE), and also ceramide phosphorylglycerol (CPG). The first enzyme in the sphingolipid pathway, 3-ketodihydro-sphingosine (3KDS) synthase, has been partially purified previously. To study subsequent steps in the pathways, mutants defective in sphingolipid synthesis were derived by ethyl methanesulfonate and nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis. Extracts of the mutant, 1075BB, show synthase activity although the cells do not synthesize CPE or CPG. The mutant differs from the wild type in that: (1) synthase activity was much diminished in the mutant, (2) sphingolipid synthesis does not occur in the mutant as evidenced by the absence of spots at sites where CPE and CPG migrate following two-dimensional thin layer chromatography, (3) incorporation of uniformly-labelled (/sup 14/C)serine carbon or (/sup 14/C)3KDS into sphingolipids was not observed in the mutant, (4) following incubation with (/sup 14/C)3KDS, radioactivity corresponding to dihydrosphingosine (DHS) and ceramide were observed in the mutant; no (/sup 14/C)DHS was detected in the wild type, and (5) enhanced incorporation of (/sup 14/C)serine carbon into two lipids not containing phosphorus was found in the mutant. The authors conclude, therefore, that this mutant, 1075BB, has a metabolic block at the terminal biosynthetic steps of sphingolipid synthesis.

• Research Organization: Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale
• OSTI ID: 6986122
• Report Number(s): CONF-8606151-
• Journal Information: Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States), Journal Name: Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States) Vol. 45:6; ISSN FEPRA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550201* -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
550701 -- Microbiology-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AMINO ACIDS
BACTERIA
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
BIOSYNTHESIS
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
ENZYME ACTIVITY
ENZYMES
ESTERS
HYDROXY ACIDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIGASES
LIPIDS
MICROORGANISMS
MUTANTS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHOLIPIDS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SERINE
SPHINGOMYELINS
SYNTHESIS
THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY
TRACER TECHNIQUES