J. Bacteriol., Nov 1996, 6479-6486, Vol 178, No. 22
Copyright © 1996, American Society for Microbiology

Determination of the structure of a novel glycolipid from Thermus aquaticus 15004 and demonstration that hydroxy fatty acids are amide linked to glycolipids in Thermus spp

L Carreto, R Wait, MF Nobre and MS da Costa
Departamento de Bioquimica, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal.

The compositions of the major glycolipids (GL-1) of five strains of Thermus aquaticus, the type strain of T. filiformis, T. oshimai SPS-11, and Thermnus sp. strain CG-2 were examined by gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, fast atom bombardment-mass spectroscopy, and chemical methods. The results showed that, with the exception of T. aquaticus 15004, the organisms each have a major glycolipid whose structure was established as diglycosyl-(N- acyl)glycosaminyl-glycosyl diacylglycerol. Glucosamine was present in GL-1 of T. oshimai SPS-11 and Thermus sp. strain CG-2, while galactosamine was present in the GL-1 of T. aquaticus and T. filiformis. The novel major glycolipid of T. aquaticus 15004 was identified as galactofuranosyl-(N-acetyl)galactosaminyl-(N- acyl)galactosaminyl-gluc - osyl diacylglycerol. The hydroxy fatty acids found in the T. aquaticus strains and in the type strain of T. filiformis were exclusively amide linked to the galactosamine of the major glycolipid. Ester-linked hydroxy fatty acids were not detected in the diacylglycerol moiety of GL-1 of these organisms. Hydroxy fatty acids were detected neither in the major glycolipid of T. oshimai SPS- 11 and Thermnus sp. strain CG-2, in which glucosamine is present, nor in the major phospholipid of any of the strains examined.

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