• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.386-393
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• 2000

Recent research on the fatty acyl chains in the membrane lipids in Sarcina ventriculi has shown that unusually long chain bifunctional fatty acyl components are the major components of the total lipid. However, these studies did not yield any information on the complete structures of the lipid species containing these fatty acids. In this study, the structures of a new family of glucolipids containing bifunctional acyl chains are described. These structures were determined using NMR(Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) Spectroscopy, GC (Gas Chromatography)/MS (Mass Spectrometry), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectroscopy, and FAB (Fast Atom Bombardment) mass spectrometric studies. One of the major bifunctional acyl components of the $\alpha$-glucolipids was an $\omega$-formylmethyl ester indicating the presence of plasmalogen. The general structure of the lipid components was one in which the two head groups were separated by a membrane-spanning acyl species. One head group component is a glycerol moiety of each head group, and the other is a glyceryl clucoside. Two regular chain fatty acids, one on the glycerol moiety of each head group, are also present and meet in the middle of the membrane, roughly equidistant from each head group.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.54-58
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• 2000

Recent research results regarding the very long chain transmembrane ${\alpha},{\omega}-dicarboxylic$ components in the membrane of extremophilic eubacteria, such as Sarcina ventriculi, Thennotoga maritima, and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus have raised interesting questions concerning the physical and biochemical function on these components in the membrane. In order to understand the dynamic characteristics of these acids which reside in the bilayer membrane, 580 ps molecular dynamic simulations at 300 K were performed for two model systems. These systems were the bilayer with regular chain (C16:0 or C18:1) fatty acid methyl esters and the fatty acid bilayer containing very long chain transmembrane dicarboxylic acid methyl esters (${\alpha},{\omega}-15,16-dimethyltriacotane-dioate$ dimethyl ester; C32:0). Our analyses indicate that very long chain transmembrane dicarboxylic acids have a noticeable influence on the bilayer dynamics at a sub-nanosecond time scale. The center-ofmass mean-squared-displacement (MSD) of regular chain fatty acids adjacent to the very long chain transmembrane dicarboxylic acids decreased, the long-axis order parameter increased, and the reorientational motions of methylene groups were slowed along the hydrocarbon chains. These results indicate that the very long chain transmembrane dicarboxylic acids reduce the molecular order of the whole bilayer membrane.