LIPID-COMPOSITION OF THE PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE-PRODUCING BACTERIUM HYPHOMICROBIUM VULGARE NP-160

The extractable lipids of the PC-producing, methylotrophic, budding ba cterium Hyphomicrobium vulgare NP-160 grown in a mineral-salts medium containing methanol as the carbon source, were studied by chromatograp hic and spectrometric methods, They were found to be comprised of PC ( 35% of the total lipids), PDME (33%), PMME (1%), PE (9%), PG (10%), DP G (6%), and a non-phosphorus, ornithine-containing lipoamino acid, OL (6%). No low-polarity lipids, such as fatty acid esters of glycerol or of other alcohols, were detected. The sole fatty-acyl constituents of PDME and PMME were cis-octadec-11-enoic (cis-vaccenic) acid residues, whereas the other phospholipids contained, in addition, 1 to 5 mol % of MOA (lactobacillic acid) residues located predominantly at the sn-1 position of their glycerol residues. OL consisted of two molecular sp ecies, 2-N-[3'-(cis-octadec-11 ''-enoyloxy)octadecanoyl]-L-ornithine a nd 2-N-[3'-(cis-11 '',12 ''-methyleneoctadecanoyl)octadecanoyl]-L-orni thine in the molar ratio 94:6. When the culture medium was devoid of p hosphate, a threefold increase in OL together with a three-fold decrea se in PE were observed, no significant changes in proportions of the r emaining lipids occurring. The most striking feature of the lipid comp osition in this case was the presence of considerable amounts of fatty acid methyl esters, mainly methyl cis-vaccenate, along with minute am ounts of wax esters.