CORRELATION OF POLAR LIPID-COMPOSITION WITH 16S RIBOSOMAL-RNA PHYLOGENY IN METHANOGENS - FURTHER ANALYSIS OF LIPID COMPONENT PARTS

Qualitative analyses of lipid component parts (core lipids, phospholip id-polar head groups, and glycolipid-sugar moieties) without separatio n of individual lipids were done for further 14 strains of methanogens . The results confirmed the conclusion of our previous paper (system. Appl. Microbiol. 16, 342 1993) that the distribution of Lipid componen t parts was characteristic to taxonomic groups of methanogens at a fam ily or genus level. Our previous and present analyses of lipid compone nt part distribution of methanogens supported the division of the orde r Methanomicrobiales into two new orders Methanomicrobiales and ''Meth anosarcinales'' proposed by Boone et al. based on 16S rRNA analyses (M ethanogenesis: Ecology, Physiology, Biochemistry, & Genetics, 1993, pp 35-80). The whole results also phenotypically supported the establish ment of new families ''Methanocaldococcaceae'' and ''Methanosaetaceae' ' and new genera ''Methanothermococcus'', ''Methanocaldococcus'', ''Me thanoignis'', and ''Methanosalsus'' proposed by Boone et al.