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Lipid composition of halophilic species of Dunaliella from the dead sea

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Abstract

The lipid patterns of six halophilic Dunaliella species from the Dead Sea (C9, D11a, D11b, D13, F20a and D. viridis) were found to be generally similar to those of halotolerant Dunaliella species previously examined, except for the presence in the halphilic Dunaliella of small to trace amounts of one or more (up to five) unidentified glycolipids. The lipids of two of the halophilic algae, species C9 and D11b, were studied in detail and were found to be similar in composition. Glycolipids were the major group (55.0 and 53.2 mol % for C9 and D11b, respectively), followed by neutral lipids (mainly triacyglycerols: 21.3 mol %; 24.6 mol %), whereas phospholipids were a much smaller fraction (6.5 mol %; 5.8 mol %). Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol was the largest component (22.0 mol %; 24.3 mol %) but digalactosyldiacylglycerol (18.7 mol %; 14.9 mol %) and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (14.3 mol %; 14.0 mol %) were also present in high concentrations. All phospholipids were present at low concentrations: phosphatidylglycerol (4.4 mol %; 3.1 mol %); phosphatidylethanolamine (1.1 mol %; 0.7 mol %); phosphatidylcholine (0.9 mol %; 1.9 mol %); and phosphatidylinositol (traces). Diacylglyceryl-O-(N,N,N-trimethyl)homoserine was present in C9 and D11b (3.3 mol %; 9.3 mol %) and in all the other species examined. Fatty acid composition of the individual lipid components of C9 and D11b showed characteristic differences between glycolipids and phospholipids, in a similar pattern for both algae. The major fatty acids detected in all species examined were α-linolenic, linoleic, palmitic, oleic and a polyunsaturated sixteen carbon acid.

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  1. Rhobert W. Evans

    Present address: Department of Physiological Chemistry, Ohio State University, 43210, Columbus, OH, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Ottawa, K1N 9B4, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Rhobert W. Evans & Morris Kates

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Evans, R.W., Kates, M. Lipid composition of halophilic species of Dunaliella from the dead sea. Arch. Microbiol. 140, 50–56 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00409771

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00409771

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