The lipids of an auxutrophic avirulent mutant ofCoccidioides immitis

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Abstract
Cells of a mouse-virulent Coccidioides immitis wild type, strain RS, and a mouse-avirulent induced mutant strain of RS, strain 95, were analyzed to characterize and compare the lipid content of mycelium and arthrospores. The arthrospores of strain RS contained 18% more total lipid, 15% more free lipid and 39% more bound lipid than arthrospores of strain 95 and the free lipid fraction contained 30% C-18:1 in contrast to the arthrospores of strain 95 which contained 79% C-18:1. The only significant variation between the lipids of the mycelial growth exhibited by strains RS and 95 was 33% more anteiso C-21 in some fractions of the free lipid of strain 95. The mycelium of the wild type organism, strain RS, contained 11·6% free lipid and 0·86% bound lipid. Phosphatidyl choline 21%, phosphatidyl ethanolamine 17%, sterol 26% and cariolipin 13% together constituted 95% of the total mycelial strain RS free lipid phospholipid fraction. The major mycelial fatty acids were C-16, 26·2%; C-18, 12·2%; C-18:1, 31·7% and C-18:2, 6·1%. These 4 fatty acids accounted for 76·2% of the free lipid present in strain RS cells. Bound lipids presented essentially the same total lipid, lipid class, phospholipid and fatty acid profile as the free lipids.