Isolation and Analysis of Low Molecular Weight Microbial Glycolipids

Abstract

Abstract:Microbial glycolipids consist of four major groups, rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, trehalose lipids and mannosylerythritol lipids. Extensive research has been carried out on rhamnolipids and sophorolipids, with slightly less research to date carried out on trehalose lipids and mannosylerythritol lipids. When studying these microbial glycolipids, the ability to isolate, purify and characterize the structures being produced is extremely important. This structural information provides insight into the different conditions, such as carbon sources, etc. that effect production of glycolipids. The information from analysis allows the optimization of production yields and assembly of glycolipids with different structural characteristic. Therefore, the ability to drive production in a certain direction allow the microbiologist to produce different types of glycolipids depending on the biological activity required, such as surface tension, is possible. The experimental techniques used to isolate, purify and analysis glycolipids is extremely varied, such as colorimetric assays that give rough indication of production yields, ranging to complex mass spectral techniques. Mass spectrometry provides essential information that results in the identification and quantification of individual glycolipid structures, including isomers. However, mass spectrometry requires extremely purified glycolipids for best result, which can be carried out using various chromatographic techniques. This paper therefore details information and methods that would be required to analysis glycolipids. Since there are numerous methods available, only the most commonly reported techniques are presented in this paper.