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Wax Ester and Triacylglycerol Inclusions

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Bacterial Organelles and Organelle-like Inclusions

Part of the book series: Microbiology Monographs ((MICROMONO,volume 34))

Abstract

Neutral lipids comprising wax esters (WEs) and triacylglycerols (TAGs) occur frequently as energy and carbon stores in several groups of bacteria. Biosynthesis of these lipids are promoted in cells grown during unbalanced growth, if an essential nutrient is limiting growth and if a surplus of a carbon source is available. They are mobilized under conditions of carbon and energy deficiency. In general, neutral lipids are stored as insoluble inclusions with different shapes and sizes inside the cytoplasm, depending on the lipid, strain, and culture conditions. The structure, morphology, and biogenesis of these inclusions are the main topics of this chapter. A short overview of the metabolic pathways leading to the biosynthesis of TAGs and WEs and the enzymes involved therein is given. Parallels to and differences from the structure and formation of polyhydroxyalkanoate granules in bacteria and neutral lipid bodies in multicellular organisms such as plants and animals and unicellular eukaryotes are described. The biotechnological potential of microbial lipids to satisfy the need for fuels is also shortly reviewed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to all coworkers at the Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster who have in the past contributed to lipid research. This manuscript is an update of the manuscript previously published in the corresponding first volumes of the “Microbiology Monographs” book series.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany

    Alexander Steinbüchel & Marc Wältermann

  2. Environmental Science Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Alexander Steinbüchel

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  1. Alexander Steinbüchel
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  2. Marc Wältermann
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Correspondence to Alexander Steinbüchel .

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  1. Institute of Microbiology, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Dieter Jendrossek

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Steinbüchel, A., Wältermann, M. (2020). Wax Ester and Triacylglycerol Inclusions. In: Jendrossek, D. (eds) Bacterial Organelles and Organelle-like Inclusions. Microbiology Monographs, vol 34. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60173-7_9

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