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A comparison of the major lipid classes and fatty acid composition of marine unicellular cyanobacteria with freshwater species

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Abstract

The fatty acid composition of two motile (strains WH 8113 and WH 8103) and one nonmotile (strain WH 7803) marine cyanobacteria has been determined and compared with two freshwater unicellular Synechocystis species (strain PCC 6308 and PCC 6803). The fatty acid composition of lipid extracts of isolated membranes from Synechocystis PCC 6803 was found to be identical to that of whole cells. All the marine strains contained myristic acid (14:0) as the major fatty acid, with only traces of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This composition is similar to Synechocystis PCC 6308. The major lipid classes of the nonmotile marine strain were identified as digalactosyl diacylglycerol, monogalactosyl diacylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, and sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol, identical to those found in other cyanobacteria.

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Abbreviations

DGDG:

Digalactosyl diacylglycerol

MGDG:

Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol

PG:

Phosphatidylglycerol

SGDG:

sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol

gc:

gas chromatography

ms:

mass spectrometry

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Merritt, M.V., Rosenstein, S.P., Rachel, C.L. et al. A comparison of the major lipid classes and fatty acid composition of marine unicellular cyanobacteria with freshwater species. Arch. Microbiol. 155, 107–113 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00248602

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