Structural determination of the polar glycoglycerolipids from thermophilic bacteria Meiothermus taiwanensis.

The polar glycolipids were isolated from the thermophilic bacteria Meiothermus taiwanensis ATCC BAA-400 by ethanol extraction and purified by Sephadex LH-20 and silica gel column chromatography. The fatty acid composition of O-acyl groups in the glycolipids was obtained by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy analysis on their methyl esters derived from methanolysis and was made mainly of C-15:0 (34.0%) and C-17:0 (42.3%) fatty acids, with the majority as branched fatty acids (over 80%). Removal of O-acyl groups under mild basic conditions provided two glycolipids, which differ only in N-acyl substitution on a hexosamine. Electrospray mass spectroscopy analysis revealed that one has a C-17:0 N-acyl group and the other hydroxy C-17:0 in a ratio of about 1 : 3.5. Furthermore, complete de-lipidation with strong base followed by selective N-acetylation resulted in a homogeneous tetraglycosyl glycerol. The linkages and configurations of the carbohydrate moiety were then elucidated by MS and various NMR analyses. Thus, the major glycolipid from M. taiwanensis ATCC BAA-400 was determined with the following structure: alpha-Galp(1-6)-beta-Galp(1-6)-beta-GalNAcyl(1,2)-alpha-Glc(1,1)-Gro diester, where N-acyl is C-17:0 or hydroxy C-17:0 fatty acid and the glycerol esters were mainly iso- and anteisobranched C-15:0 and C-17:0.