Glucosylcaldarchaetidylglycerol, a minor phosphoglycolipid from Thermoplasma acidophilum

A novel phosphoglycolipid (GPL-K) was isolated from Thermoplasma acidophilu m (ATCC 27658). The chemical components of GPL-K were analyzed by gas liqui d chromatography and GC-MS. The sugar moiety of GPL-K and its anomeric regi on were analyzed by NMR assignment. The core lipid of GPL-K was caldarchaeo l, and its main hydrocarbon chains were acyclic and monocyclic C-40 biphyta nyl. The polar head groups were alpha-glucose and glycerophosphate. The neg ative FAB-MS spectrum of GPL-K confirmed that the lipid peak of m/z 1614 co nsists of a caldarchaeol (including one cyclopentane ring), a hexose sugar, and a glycerophosphate. We have proposed the tentative structure of GPL-K. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.