Tetraether lipids of Methanospirillum hungatei with head groups consisting of phospho- N, N-dimethylaminopentanetetrol, phospho- N, N, N-trimethylaminopentanetetrol, and carbohydrates

Abstract

Acyclic, standard tetraether and diether lipids each account for about 50% of the total ether lipids found in Methanospirillum hungatei. Sixteen ether lipids were purified and defined according to relative weight percentage and staining reactions on thin-layer plates. Structures were elucidated for six previously uncharacterized tetraether lipids. Four of these lipids had as one head group either α-glc p -(1–2)-β-gal f-, or β-gal f(1–6)-β-gal f, in glycosidic linkage to the first glycerol of the lipid backbone, and either a N, N-dimethylaminopentanetetrol or a N, N, N-trimethylaminopentanetetrol moiety in phosphodiester linkage to the second glycerol of the backbone. A fifth lipid was a tetraether structure novel in having carbohydrate moieties at both head group positions; namely α-glc p-(1–2)-gal f- and β-gal f Two other lipids, a diether and a tetraether, had a single head group consisting of α-glc p-(1–2)-β-gal f- modified by O-acetylation of the gal f residue at C-6. In addition to the seven new lipids described above, diether and tetraether analogs of phosphatidylglycerol were found.