title: Partial characterization of lipid A of intraperiplasmically grown Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus.
abstract: The lipid A components of substrate cell origin incorporated by Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus during intraperiplasmic growth (D. R. Nelson and S. C. Rittenberg, J. Bacteriol. 147:860-868, 1981) were shown to be integrated into its lipopolysaccharide structure. Lipid A isolated from bdellovibrios grown on Escherichia coli was resolved into two fractions by thin-layer chromatography. Fraction 2 had the same Rf as the single lipid A fraction of axenicaly grown bdellovibrios, and both stained identically with aniline-diphenylamine reagent. Fraction 1 resembled, in Rf and staining reaction, the slower migrating of two lipid A fractions obtained from the E.coli used as the substrate cell. Both fractions 1 and 2 contained glucosamine, a substrate cell-derived compound. Greater than 65% of the fatty acids in fraction 1 were derived from the substrate cell, whereas more than 60% of the fatty acids of fraction 2 were synthesized by the bdellovibrio. Nevertheless, each fraction contained significant amounts of fatty acid of both origins. The substrate cell-derived fatty acids had the same distribution of N-acyl and O-acyl linkages as in E. coli lipid A. The data indicate that the two lipid A moieties in lipopolysaccharide of intraperiplasmically grown bdellovibrios are hybrids of substrate cell-derived and bdellovibrio-synthesized components. The data also suggest that disaccharide units and N- and O-acyl linkages preexisting in the substrate cell lipid A may be conserved. A possible explanation for the unequal distribution of substrate cell-derived material in the two lipid A fractions of the bdellovibrio is suggested.
mesh_terms: D001501:Bdellovibrio / Q000032:analysis* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D008050:Lipid A / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008050:Lipid A; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides