LIPIDS OF HELIOBACTERIA ARE CHARACTERIZED BY A HIGH PROPORTION OF MONOENOIC FATTY-ACIDS WITH VARIABLE DOUBLE-BOND POSITIONS

The fatty acid composition and lipid pattern of six strains of helioba cteria have been analysed. The results were fairly uniform for all str ains. Phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl glycerol were the dom inating lipids found, with the former as the major one. No glycolipids were detected. The general fatty acid pattern was dominated by acids of chain length C-16 to C-18 An unusually large proportion of monoenoi c acids was seen, with up to four positional isomers for each chain le ngth. Methyl branched (iso) fatty acids were present, but not cyclopro pyl or hydroxy fatty acids nor fatty alcohols.