Composition of Fatty Acids and Carbohydrates in Leptospira

Abstract

The fatty acid and monosaccharide composition of four pathogenic and two saprophytic strains of Leptospira was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry. Among the fatty acids, palmitic acid was most abundant and constituted 30 to 50% of the total fatty acids. Even-numbered unsaturated acids including octadecenoic, hexadecenoic, octadecadienoic, and tetradecadienoic acids comprised 40 to 60% of the total fatty acids. Tetradecanoic acid was about 5% in saprophytic strains, but 1% or less in pathogenic strains. The amount of chloroform-methanol extract of L. biflexa strain Ancona was 14 to 20% of the dry weight of the cell. Tetradecadienoic acid was found in the chloroform-methanol insoluble fraction, suggesting the presence of the acid in a bound form. GC analysis of monosaccharides revealed the existence of arabinose, xylose, rhamnose, mannose, galactose, glucose, glucosamine, and muramic acid in the cells. Among the neutral sugars, glucose was a minor component and was especially low in pathogenic strains. Total pentose content was about two to three times greater than total hexose.

Isoprenoid quinone and polar lipid composition of Leptospiraceae

“…All of the test organisms contained similar polar lipids. In agreement with previous studies (12)(13)(14)(15) phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) was the major phospholipid detected, with diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) pre-275 sent in minor amounts. These data help to distinguish members of Leptospira from borreliae and treponemes which contain phosphatidylcholine (15,(22)(23)(24)(25) and from members of the genus Spirochaeta which lack phosphatidylethanolamine [15,22].…”

“…Chemotaxonomic analyses of lipids such as fatty acids, isoprenoid quinones and polar lipids have lead to significant advances in the systematics of a diverse array of bacteria [11,12]. The fatty acid and polar lipid content of a small number of parasitic and saprophytic leptospires have been previously investigated with encouraging results [12][13][14][15]. In the present study 28 representatives of L. biflexa, L. interrogans and 'L.…”

Applications of cellular fatty acid analysis.

“…Up to 50% of the total CFAs in Leptospira spp. are in the form C16:0 (74). The rest are mainly unsaturated C,16:1 C18:1' C18:2, and C14:2…”

Characterization of Lipid Fatty Acids in Whole-Cell Microorganisms Using in Situ Supercritical Fluid Derivatization/Extraction and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

“…In this approach, identification is based on the determination of the chemical composition of certain constituents in the microorganism, such as the profiling of lipids 2,3 or the detection of a biomarker that signifies a particular microorganism. [4][5][6][7][8] A variety of analytical techniques have been used in these analyses, including gas chromatography (GC), [9][10][11][12][13][14][15] gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), [16][17][18] pyrolysis mass spectrometry (Py-MS), [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] pyrolysis gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), [26][27][28][29] fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry, 30,31 and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. 32 The most common approach in the classification of bacteria through lipid profiling is the analysis of their fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs).…”