FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF LIPIDS IN THERMOACIDOPHILIC BACTERIA OF THEGENUS SULFOBACILLUS

Extremely acidophilic bacteria of the genus Sulfobacillus - moderately thermophilic spore-forming S. thermosulfidooxidans VKM B-1269 (All-Ru ssia Culture Collection) and non-sporing S. thermosulfidooxidans subsp . asporogenas 41, and thermotolerant S. thermosulfidooxidans subsp. th ermotolerans K1 contain omega-cyclohexane acids. Depending on cultivat ion conditions (autotrophic, mixotrophic or heterotrophic). omega-cycl ohexplundecanoic and omega-cyclohexyltridecanoic acids account for abo ut 60 and 10% of total fatty acids in the cells, respectively. In cont rast to the known species of Bacillus and Curtobacterium, the studied strains of Sulfobacillus also contain up to 3% of omega-cyclohexyl-alp ha-oxyundecanoic acid. The main fatty acids of sulfobacilli are branch ed-chain, mainly anteiso acids, and are revealed by normal acids in au totrophic conditions. Thus, according to their fatty acid composition, thermoacidophilic chemolithotroplis belong to the group of bacteria w ith membrane branched-chain and alicyclic acids, which are synthesized via the acyl-CoA and glucose-shikimate pathway.