Taxonomic significance of hydroxy fatty acids in myxobacteria with special reference to 2-hydroxy fatty acids in phospholipids.

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Abstract
The cellular hydroxy fatty acid composition of myxobacteria was investigated. Strains tested included 7 strain of Myxococcus species and one strain of Archangium, together with other gliding bacteria, 2 strains of Cytophaga species, as reference bacteria. Myxobacteria commonly had 2-hydroxy and 3-hydroxy fatty acids as the hydroxy fatty acid components. The hydroxy fatty acid profile of myxobacteria was characterized as follows: 2-hydroxy-15-methylhexadecanoic acid (2-OH iso C17:0)is the major hydroxy fatty acid component.In lipids extractable with chloroform/methanol (extractable lipids), 2-hydroxy fatty acids were the major hydroxy fatty acid components. In lipids non-extractable with chloroform/methanol (bound lipids), both 2-hydroxy and 3-hydroxy fatty acids appeared. This hydroxy fatty acid profile was different from that of Cytophaga species which commonly had 3-hydroxy-13-methyltetradecanoic acid (3-OH iso C15:0) and 3-hydroxy-15-methylhexadecanoic acid (3-OH iso C17:0) as the major hydroxy fatty acids, and these 3-hydroxy fatty acids occurred in both extractable and bound lipids. The myxobacteria were characterized also by phospholipid components in the extractable lipids. Phosphatidylethanolamine was the major phospholipid. It consisted of two types, one containing only non-hydroxy fatty acids and the other containing approximately 50% hydroxy fatty acids in the total fatty acids. The mycobacteria were characterized by the above hydroxy fatty acid profile.