Structural characterization of the polar lipids of Clostridium novyi NT. Further evidence for a novel anaerobic biosynthetic pathway to plasmalogens

• Published in: Biochimica et biophysica acta Vol. 1811; no. 3; pp. 186 - 193
• Main Authors: Guan, Ziqiang, Johnston, Norah C., Aygun-Sunar, Semra, Daldal, Fevzi, Raetz, Christian R.H., Goldfine, Howard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.03.2011
• Subjects: Aminoacyl–phosphatidylglycerol; Anaerobiosis - physiology; animals; biochemical pathways; biosynthesis; Clostridium - chemistry; Clostridium - metabolism; Clostridium novyi; Mass spectrometry; phosphatidic acids; phosphatidylethanolamines; phosphatidylserines; Phospholipid; Plasmalogen; Plasmalogens - biosynthesis; Plasmalogens - chemistry; PA; PS; PT; PE; MS; LC; PG; Plasmalogen; Phospholipid; Aminoacyl–phosphatidylglycerol; TLC; Mass spectrometry
• ISSN: 1388-1981; 0006-3002; 1879-2618
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2010.12.010

A study of the polar lipids of Clostridium novyi NT has revealed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and cardiolipin as major phospholipids with smaller amounts of phosphatidylglycerol (PG), lysyl-PG and alanyl-PG. Other minor phospholipids included phosphatidic acid, CDP-diacylglycerol, phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylthreonine (PT). PE, PG and amino acyl PG were present in both the diacyl and alk-1′-enyl acyl (plasmalogen) forms and cardiolipin plasmalogens were found to contain one or two alk-1′-enyl chains. In contrast, the precursor lipids phosphatidic acid, CDP-diacylglycerol and PS were present almost exclusively as diacyl phospholipids. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that plasmalogens are formed from diacylated phospholipids at a late stage of phospholipid formation in Clostridium species. This novel pathway contrasts with the route in animals in which a saturated ether bond is formed at an early stage of plasmalogen biosynthesis and the alk-1-enyl bond is formed by an aerobic mechanism. ► The lipidome of Clostridium novyi is presented for the first time. ► The end-products of lipid biosynthesis are found in all acyl or plasmalogen species. ► The intermediates of phospholipid biosynthesis contain very little plasmalogen form. ► Plasmalogens in clostridia are formed from the corresponding all acyl lipids.