Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1964 Jan;87(1):8–15. doi: 10.1128/jb.87.1.8-15.1964

N-METHYL GROUPS IN BACTERIAL LIPIDS

Howard Goldfine 1, Martha E Ellis 1
PMCID: PMC276954  PMID: 14102879

Abstract

Goldfine, Howard (Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.), and Martha E. Ellis. N-methyl groups in bacterial lipids. J. Bacteriol. 87:8–15. 1964.—The ability of bacteria to synthesize lecithin was examined by measuring the incorporation of the methyl group of methionine into the water-soluble moieties obtained on acid hydrolysis of bacterial lipids. Of 21 species examined, mostly of the order Eubacteriales, only 2, Agrobacterium radiobacter and A. rhizogenes, incorporated the methyl group of methionine into lipid-bound choline. Evidence was also obtained for the formation of lipid-bound N-methylethanolamine and N,N′-dimethylethanolamine in these two organisms. Two other species, Clostridium butyricum and Proteus vulgaris, incorporated the methyl group of methionine into lipid-bound N-methylethanolamine, but did not appear to be able to further methylate these lipids to form lecithin. The results of this study lend further strength to the generalization that bacteria, with the exception of the genus Agrobacterium, are unable to synthesize lecithin.

Full text

PDF
9

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BARKER H. A., SMYTH R. D., WILSON R. M., WEISSBACH H. The purification and properties of beta-methylaspartase. J Biol Chem. 1959 Feb;234(2):320–328. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BROQUIST H. P., SNELL E. E. Biotin and bacterial growth. I. Relation to aspartate, oleate, and carbon dioxide. J Biol Chem. 1951 Jan;188(1):431–444. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. FOLCH J., LEES M., SLOANE STANLEY G. H. A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipides from animal tissues. J Biol Chem. 1957 May;226(1):497–509. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. FULCO A. J., BLOCH K. Cofactor requirements for fatty acid desaturation in mycobacterium phlei. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1962 Oct 8;63:545–546. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(62)90130-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. GOLDFINE H., BLOCH K. On the origin of unsaturated fatty acids in clostridia. J Biol Chem. 1961 Oct;236:2596–2601. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. GOLDFINE H., STADTMAN E. R. Propionic acid metabolism. 5. The conversion of beta-alanine to propionic acid by cellfree extracts of Clostridium propioncum. J Biol Chem. 1960 Aug;235:2238–2245. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. GOLDFINE H. The characterization and biosynthesis of an N-methylethanolamine phospholipid from Clostridium butyricum. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1962 May 21;59:504–506. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(62)90212-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HOFMANN K., HSIAO C. Y. Y., HENIS D. B., PANOS C. The estimation of the fatty acid composition of bacterial lipides. J Biol Chem. 1955 Nov;217(1):49–60. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. IKAWA M. NATURE OF THE LIPIDS OF SOME LACTIC ACID BACTERIA. J Bacteriol. 1963 Apr;85:772–781. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.4.772-781.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. JAMES A. T., MARTIN A. J. Gas-liquid chromatography: the separation and identification of the methyl esters of saturated and unsaturated acids from formic acid to n-octadecanoic acid. Biochem J. 1956 May;63(1):144–152. doi: 10.1042/bj0630144. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LENNARZ W. J., SCHEUERBRANDT G., BLOCH K. The biosynthesis of oleic and 10-methylstearic acids in Mycobacterium phlei. J Biol Chem. 1962 Mar;237:664–671. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. LIU T. Y., HOFMANN K. Cyclopropane ring blosynthesis. Biochemistry. 1962 Jan;1:189–191. doi: 10.1021/bi00907a028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MACLEOD P., BROWN J. P. FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF LIPIDS FROM STREPTOCOCCUS CREMORIS AND STREPTOCOCCUS LACTIS VAR. MALTIGENES. J Bacteriol. 1963 May;85:1056–1060. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.5.1056-1060.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. O'LEARY W. M. Involvement of methionine in bacterial lipid synthesis. J Bacteriol. 1959 Nov;78:709–713. doi: 10.1128/jb.78.5.709-713.1959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. O'leary W. M. S-ADENOSYLMETHIONINE IN THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF BACTERIAL FATTY ACIDS. J Bacteriol. 1962 Nov;84(5):967–972. doi: 10.1128/jb.84.5.967-972.1962. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Starr M. P. Nutrition of Phytopathogenic Bacteria: I. Minimal Nutritive Requirements of Genus Xanthomonas. J Bacteriol. 1946 Feb;51(2):131–143. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES