Characterization of glycolipids from Meiothermus spp

1 Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Coimbra, 3000 Coimbra, Portugal 2 Centre for Applied Microbiology & Research, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 OJG, UK 3 Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade de Coimbra, 3000 Coimbra, Portugal ABSTRACT Thin-layer chromatographic analysis of the polar lipids of Meiothermus strains revealed two glycolipid bands with similar chromatographic mobility to the major glycolipid of Thermus strains. In this study the glycolipids from the type strains of Meiothermus ruber, Meiothermus chliarophilus, Meiothermus silvanus and Meiothermus cerbereus were characterized using GC, GC/MS, fast atom bombardment MS and chemical methods. All strains contained dihexosyl-( N -acyl)hexosaminylglucosyl diacylglycerols, related in structure to the major glycolipid of Thermus strains but varying in their fatty acylation pattern. The detection of two glycolipid bands by TLC in Meiothermus spp. was attributable to the invariable presence of 2-hydroxyacyl groups N -linked to the hexosamine of the polar head group which cause the glycolipids to be more strongly retained on silica TLC plates than 3-hydroxy or non-hydroxylated N -acyl glycolipids of similar structure that are also present. M. silvanus contained, in addition to these glyceroglycolipids, several glycolipids which were linked to acylated branched octadecanediols rather than to glycerol. The presence of glycolipids containing 2-hydroxyacyl groups N -linked to hexosamine appears to be a stable phenotypic marker that distinguishes the genus Meiothermus from the genus Thermus. Author for correspondence: Milton S. da Costa. Tel: + 35 1 39 824024. Fax: + 35 1 39 826798. e-mail: milton@cygnus.ci.uc.pt Keywords: thermophiles, Meiothermus , glycolipids