Lipid Composition of Cyanidium

Abstract

The major lipids in Cyanidium caldarium Geitler are inonogalactosyl diglyceride, digalactosyl diglyceride, plant sulfolipid, lecithin, phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl inositol, and phosphatidyl ethanolamine. Fatty acid composition varies appreciably among the lipids, but the major ones are palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and moderate amounts of stearic acid. Trace amounts of other acids in the C14 to C20 range were also present. Moderate amounts of linolenic acid were found in two strains, but not in a third. The proportion of saturated acid is relatively high in all lipids ranging from about a third in monogalactosyl diglyceride to three-fourths in sulfolipid. This may be a result of the high growth temperature. Lipases forming lysosulfolipid, and lysophosphatidyl glycerol are active in ruptured cells; galactolipid is degraded with loss of both acyl residues. Thus the lipid and fatty acid composition of Cyanidium more closely resembles that of green algae than that of the blue-green algae, although there are differences of possible phylogenetic interest.Cyanidiwn caldarium is a monotypic genus with several characteristics of a blue-green alga but others typical of the higher algae. Its various attributes and peculiarities have recently been reviewed (14) and can be briefly summarized as follows: cytologically, it possesses mitochondria, a single chloroplast, and a nucleus with enclosing membrane in which chromosomes have not been visualized; biochemically, it contains chlorophyll a as its sole chlorophyll and contains C-phycocyanin and allophycocyanin, 3-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin although it lacks the myxoxanthophyll found in many blue-green algae. Its aldolase resembles that of Chlorella (18). This mosaic of characteristics defies a convenient classification of Cyanidium into the blue-green, red, green, or cryptophycean groups of algae, into each of which it has at one time been placed. Physiologically, it is most interesting in that it is both acidophilic and thermophilic with growth occurring at temperatures as high as 60 C (6) and at acidities of pH 2.0 (10).Knowledge of the lipid and fatty acid composition of green plants, and particularly microorganisms, has been of considerable use in considering the phylogeny and interrelationships in these organisms. Thus, while a-linolenic acid is found in all photosynthetic higher algae and green plants, it is by no means present in all blue-green algae and is absent completely from photosynthetic bacteria (12). While the only lipid common to the photosynthetic bacteria is phosphatidyl glycerol, algae and green plants all contain monogalactosyl diglyceride, digalactosyl diglyceride, and sulfoquinovosyl diglyceride (plant sulfolipid) as well. The bluegreen algae do not contain phosphatidyl choline (lecithin) which is characteristic of higher algae. The object of these experiments was to ascertain the lipid and fatty acid composition of Cyanidium with hope that these data might enable us to understand better its relationshlp to other algae....

Phycobilisome Mobility and Its Role in the Regulation of Light Harvesting in Red Algae

“…We detected typical fatty acids in various ratios (Table II) ). This indicates that mesophilic and thermophilic red algae adapt to different living conditions by changes in their membrane fatty acid composition; this is in line with previous studies done for P. cruentum (Khozin et al, 1997;KhozinGoldberg et al, 2000) and C. caldarium (Allen et al, 1970).…”

Fatty Acid Composition of Unicellular Strains of Blue-Green Algae

“…One other coccoid unicellular blue-green alga, Microcystis aeruginosa, resembles the strains of Aphanocapsa cluster 1 both qualitatively and quantitatively in polyunsaturated fatty acid content. This strain has DNA with a base composition similar to that of Aphanocapsa cluster 1 [45 moles %GC (25) ]. It is separated generically from Aphanocapsa on the basis of a special structural character, the possession of gas vacuoles (25).…”

Variations de la composition et de la teneur en lipides polaires des trois Fucacées communes des côtes bretonnes: Pelvetia canaliculata (L.) Decn. et Thur., Fucus vesiculosus L., Fucus serratus L. au cours de leur cycle annuel.

“…Dans les trois Fucacees analysees nous avons donc bien retrouve les phospho-, glyco-et sulfolipides signales depuis longtemps par de tres nombreux auteurs (Benson, 1963;Haines, 1970) soit dans les chloroplastes (Costes et al, 1972), les mitochondries, les microsomes (Ben Abdelkader et Mazliak, 1971) des cellules des plantes superieures, soit dans certaines Chlorophycees (Haines, 1970;Lin et Chang, 1971;Nichols, 1965;Reitz, 1972), Cyanophycees (Allen et , 1970;Ikanet Seckbach, 1972;Kleinschmidt et McMahon, 1970;Walsby et Nicholls, 1969), et meme des Flagelles et des Cryptomonadinees .…”