Summary
Eukaryotic algae are a diverse group of organisms. Their lipid compositions have been less studied than those of higher plants but, nevertheless, we now have sufficient data to be able to make some broad generalizations. Algae contain many of the major lipids of plants, such as the glycosylglycerides and the usual phosphoglycerides. In addition, more unusual compounds such as the betaine lipids, chlorosulfolipids or various other sulfolipids may be major components of some species or orders.
Where information is available specifically about chloroplast membranes, it seems that the three glycosylglycerides, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol, and phosphatidylglycerol are the main acyl lipids, as in plants. These four lipids have characteristic fatty acid compositions and are often highly enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids which may contain as many as six double bonds. The positional distribution of fatty acids on the thylakoid lipids of Chlamydomonas indicates that the former are made exclusively within the chloroplast.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson R, Livermore BP, Kates M and Volcani BE (1978a) The lipid composition of the non-photosynthetic diatom Nitzschia alba. Biochim Biophys Acta 528: 77–88
Anderson R, Kates M and Volcani BE (1978b) Identification of the sulfolipids in the non-photosynthetic diatom, Nitzschia alba. Biochim Biophys Acta 528: 89–106
Araki S, Eichenberger W, Sakurai T and Sato N (1991) Distribution of diacylglycerylhydroxymethyl-beta-alanine (DGTA) and phosphatidylcholine in brown algae. Plant Cell Physiol 32: 623–628
Benson AA (1987) Little known facts of plant lipid metabolism. In: Stumpf PK, Mudd JB and Nes WD (eds) The Metabolism Structure and Function of Plant Lipids, pp 599–601. Plenum, New York
Benson AA, Wiser R, Ferrari RA and Miller JA (1958) Photosynthesis of galactolipids. J Am Chem Soc 80:4740
Browse J and Somerville C (1991) Glycerolipid synthesis: Biochemistry and regulation. Ann Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 42: 467–506
Cho SH and Thompson GA (1987) Metabolism of galactolipids in Dunaliella salina. In: Stumpf PK, Mudd JB and Nes WD (eds) The Metabolism Structure and Function of Plant Lipids, pp 623–629. Plenum, New York
Dembitsky VM (1996) Betaine ether-linked glycerolipids: chemistry and biology. Prog Lipid Res 35: 1–51
Eichenberger W and Hofmann M (1992) Metabolism and distribution of betaine lipids in algae. In: Cherif A, Miled-Daoud D, Marzouk B, Smaoui A and Zarrouk M (eds) Metabolism Structure and Utilization of Plant Lipids. pp 18–21, Centre National Pedagogique, Tunis
Eichenberger W, Boschetti A and Michel HP (1986) Lipid and pigment composition of a chlorophyll b-deficient mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardii. Physiol Plant 66: 589–594
Einspahr KJ, Rodriguez Rosales MP, Ha KS, Herrin DL and Thompson GA (1990) Transmembrane signalling in the green alga Dunaliella salina under salt stress. In: Quinn PJ and Harwood JL (eds) Plant Lipid Biochemistry Structure and Utilization, pp 351–356. Portland Press, London
Evans RW, Kates M and Ginzburg BZ (1982) Lipid composition of halotolerant algae, Dunaliella parva and Dunaliella tertiolecta. Biochim Biophys Acta 712: 186–195
Giroud C, Gerber A and Eichenberger W (1988) Lipids of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Analysis of molecular species and intracellular site(s) of biosynthesis. Plant Cell Physiol 29: 587–595
Haines TH (1973a) Halogen-and sulfur-containing lipids of Ochromonas. Ann Rev Microbiol 27: 403–411
Haines TH (1973b) The halogenated sulphatides. In: Goodwin TW (ed) The Biochemistry of Lipids, pp 271–286. Butterworths, London
Haines TH (1973c) Sulfolipids and halosulfolipids. In: Erwin JA (ed) Lipids and Biomembranes of Eukaryotic Microorganisms, pp 197–232. Academic Press, New York.
Haines TH and Block RJ (1962) Sulfur metabolism in algae. J. Protozool. 9: 33–38
Harwood JL (1980) Plant acyl lipids: Structure, distribution and analysis. In: Stumpf, PK and Conn EE (eds) The Biochemistry of Plants, Vol 4, pp 1–55. Academic Press, New York.
Harwood JL and Jones AL (1989) Lipid metabolism in algae. Adv Bot Res 16: 1–53
Harwood JL, Pettitt TP and Jones AL (1989) Lipid metabolism. In: Gallon JR and Rogers LJ (eds) Biochemistry of Algae and Cyanobacteria, pp 49–67. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Jones AL and Harwood JL (1992) Lipid composition of the brown algae Fucus vesiculosus and Ascophyllum nodosum. Phytochemistry 31: 3397–3403
Kates M (1987) Lipids of diatoms and of halophilic Dunaliella species. In: Stumpf, PK, Mudd JB and Nes WD (eds) The Metabolism Structure and Function of Plant Lipids, pp 613–621. Plenum, New York
Kates M (1990) Glycolipids of higher plants, algae, yeasts and fungi. In: Kates M (ed) Handbook of Lipid Research, Vol 6, pp 235–320. Plenum, New York
Kates M, Tremblay P, Anderson R and Volcani BE (1978) Identification of the free and conjugated sterol in the non-photosynthetic diatom Nitzschia alba as 24-methylene cholesterol. Lipids 13: 34–41
Kawaguchi Y, Arao T and Yamada Y (1987) Composition and positional distribution of fatty acids in lipids from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. In: Stumpf PK, Mudd JB and Nes WD (eds) The Metabolism Structure and Function of Plant Lipids, pp 653–656. Plenum, New York
Mendida-Morgenthaler L, Eichenberger W and Boschetti A (1985) Isolation of chloroplast envelopes from Chlamydomonas. Lipid and polypeptide composition. Plant Sci 41: 97–104
Mercer El and Davies CL (1979) Distribution of chlorosulfolipids in algae. Phytochemistry 18:457–462
Pettitt TR and Harwood JL (1986) Lipid characterisation and metabolism in two red marine algae. Biochem Soc Trans 14: 148–149
Pettitt TR, Jones AL and Harwood JL (1989a) Lipids of the marine red algae Chondrus crispus and Polysiphonia lanosa. Phytochemistry 28: 399–405
Pettitt TR, Jones AL and Harwood JL (1989b) Lipid metabolism in the red marine algae Chondrus crispus and Polysiphonia lanosa as modified by temperature. Phytochemistry 28:2053–2058
Pham Quang L and Laur M-H (1976a) Structures, levels and compositions of sulfuric, sulfonic and phospheric esters of glycosyldiglycerides from three Fucaceae. Biochimie 58:1367–1380
Pham Quang L and Laur M-H (1976b) The sulfated, aliphatic alcohols: new polar lipids isolated from various Fucacea. Biochimie 58: 1381–1396
Pham Quang L and Laur M-H (1976c) Levels, composition and cytologic distribution of sulfur and phosphorus polar lipids of Pelvetia canaliculata, Fucus vesiculosus and F. serratus. Phycologia 15: 367–376
Pohl P and Zurheide F (1979a) Fatty acids and lipids of marine algae and the control of their biosynthesis by environmental factors. In: Hoppe HA, Levring T and Tanaka Y (eds) Marine Algae in Pharmaceutical Science, pp 473–523. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin
Pohl P and Zurheide F (1979b) Control of fatty acid and lipid formation in Baltic marine algae by environmental factors. In: Appelqvist L-A and Liljenberg C (eds) Advances in the Biochemistry and Physiology of Plant Lipids, pp 427–432. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Sato N (1988) Dual role of methionine in the biosynthesis of diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Plant Physiol 86: 931–934
Sato N (1991a) Lipids in Cryptomonas CR-1.1. Occurrence of betaine lipids. Plant Cell Physiol 32: 819–825
Sato N (1991b) Lipids in Crytomonas CR-1. 2. Biosynthesis of betaine lipids and galactolipids. Plant Cell Physiol 32: 845–851
Sato N, Nemoto Y and Furuya M (1987) Lipids of Chattonella antiqua (Raphidophyceae). In: Stumpf PK, Mudd JB and Nes WD (eds) The Metabolism Structure and Function of Plant Lipids, pp 661–664. Plenum, New York
Schmid CE, Muller DG and Eichenberger W (1994) Isolation and characterisation of a new phospholipid from brown algae-intracellular-localisation and site of biosynthesis. J Plant Physiol 143:570–574
Smith KL and Harwood JL (1983) The effect of trace metals on lipid metabolism in the brown alga Fucus serratus. Biochem Soc Trans 11: 394–395
Smith KL and Harwood JL (1984) Lipids and lipid metabolism in the brown alga, Fucus serratus. Phytochemistry 23: 2469–2473
Vogel G and Eichenberger W (1992) Betaine lipids in lower plants—biosynthesis of DGTS and DGTA in Ochromonas danica (Chrysophyceae) and the possible role of DGTS in lipid metabolism. Plant Cell Physiol 33: 427–436
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Harwood, J.L. (1998). Membrane Lipids in Algae. In: Paul-André, S., Norio, M. (eds) Lipids in Photosynthesis: Structure, Function and Genetics. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48087-5_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48087-5_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-5173-3
Online ISBN: 978-0-306-48087-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive