Summary
The lipids of a thermophilic chemolithotroph,Metbanobacterium thermoautotropbicum, have been analyzed by chromatographic techniques and identified by infrared spectrometry and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Of the total chloroform soluble lipids 79% and 21% are polar and non-polar lipids, respectively. The major components of the polar lipids are dialkyl ethers of glycerol or its derivatives. The nature of the glycerol ether alkyl groups was found to be that of the saturated tetraisoprenoid hydrocarbon phytane. The non-polar lipids of the chloroform soluble fraction consist principally of three series of C20, C25 and C30 acyclic isoprenoid hydrocarbons, the major components being squalene and a continuous range of hydrosqualene derivatives, from dihydrosqualene up to and including decahydrosqualene. These data establish thatM. tbermoautotropbicum contains predominantly non-sapo-nifiable lipids as doHalobacterium, Halococcus, Sulfolobus andTbermoplasma. In particular, the composition of the chloroform soluble lipids ofM. tbermoautotropbicum is quite similar to that ofHalobacterium cutirubrum. The results strongly support the recent proposal, based on 16S rRNA sequence homologies, that the extreme halophiles and methanogens share a common ancestor. In addition, it is pointed out that the occurrence of phytane and related polyisoprenoid compounds in ancient sediments can no longer be considered unequivocally as indicative of past photosynthetic activity. Finally, speculations are made concerning the possible role of and evolutionary significance of the presence of squalene and hydrosqualenes in these organisms. To our knowledge this is the first report of squalene and hydrosqualenes in a strictly anaerobic microorganism.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Allen, R.J.L. (1940). Biochem. J.34, 858–865
Anderson, R., Kates, M., Baedecker, M.J., Kaplan, I.R., Ackman, R.G. (1977). Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta41, 1381–1390
Bertsch. L.E., Bonsen, P.P.M., Konberg, A. (1969). J. Bacteriol.98, 75–81
Bligh, E.G., Dyer, W.J. (1959). Can. J. Physiol.37, 911–917
Bloch, K. (1976). In: Reflections on biochemistry in honour of severo ochoa (Kornberg, A., Horecker, B.L., Cornudella, L. and Oro, J., eds.) pp. 143–150. Oxford: Pergamon Press
Brock, T.D., Brock, K.M., Belly, R.T., Weiss, R.L. (1972). Arch. Microbiol.84, 54–68
Cheah, K.S. (1969). Biochim. Biophys. Acta.180, 320–333
Darland, G., Brock, T., Samaonoff, W., Conti, S.F. (1970). Science170, 1416–1418
Didyk, B.M., Somoneit, B.R.T., Brassel, S.D., Eglinton, G. (1978). Nature272, 216–222
Dubois, M., Giles, K.A., Hamilton, J.K., Rebers, A., Smith, F. (1956). Anal. Chem.28, 350–356
Fox, G.E., Magrum, L.J., Balch, W.E., Wolfe, R.S., Woese, C.R. (1977). Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.74, 4537–4541
Kandler, O., Hippe, H. (1977). Arch. Microbiol.113, 57–60
Kates, M. (1964). J. Lipid Res.5, 132–135
Kates, M. In: Ether lipids, chemistry and biology. (1972). pp. 351–398. New York: Academic Press
Kates, M., Yengoyan, L.S., Sastry, P.S. (1965). Biochim. Biophys. Acta.98, 252–268
Kates, M., Palameta, B., Perry, M.P., Adams, G.A. (1967). Biochim. Biophys. Acta.137, 213–216
Langworthy, T.A. (1977). Biochim. Biophys. Acta.487, 37–50
Langworthy, T.A., Smith, P.F., Mayberry, W.R. (1972). J. Bacteriol.112, 1193–1200
Langworthy, T.A., Mayberry, W.R., Smith, P.F. (1974). J. Bacteriol.119, 106–116
Langworthy, T.A., Mayberry, W.R., Smith, P.G. (1976). Biochim. Biophys. Acta.431, 550–569
Lanyi, J.K. (1968). Arch. Biochem. Biophys.128, 716–724
Lanyi, J.K. (1969). J. Biol. Chem.244, 2864–2869
Magrum, O.J., Leuhrsen, K.W., Woese, C.R. (1978). J. Mol. Evol.11, 1–8
Marinetti, G.V. (1962). J. Lipid Res.3, 1–17
Oesterhelt, D., Stoeckenius, W. (1971). Nature New Biol.233, 149–152
Oro, J., Nooner, D.W., Zlatkis, A., Wikstrom, S.A., Barghoorn, E. (1965). Science148, 77–79
Stoeckenius, W., Rowen, R. (1967). J. Cell Biol.34, 365–393
Tornabene, T.G. (1973). Biochim. Biophys. Acta.306, 173–185
Tornabene, T.G., Ogg, J.E. (1971). Biochim. Biophys. Acta.239, 133–141
Tornabene, T.G., Kates, M., Gelpi, E., Oro, J. (1969). J. Lipid Res.10, 294–303
Tornabene, T.G. (1978). J. Mol. Evol.11, 253–257
Woese, C.R., Fox, G.E. (1977). Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.74, 5088–5090
Woese, C.R., Magrum, L.J., Fox, G.E. (1978). J. Mol. Evol.11, 245–252
Zeikus, J.G., Wolfe, R.S. (1972). J. Bacteriol.109, 707–713
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
To either of whom reprint requests should be sent.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tornabene, T.G., Wolfe, R.S., Balch, W.E. et al. Phytanyl-glycerol ethers and squalenes in the archaebacteriumMethanobacterium thermoautotrophicum . J Mol Evol 11, 259–266 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01734487
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01734487