Phospholipids of Nocardia coeliaca

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Abstract
The lipids of Nocardia coeliaca were separated into at least 10 components by the use of thin-layer chromatography. Phosphatidylcholine was the most abundant phospholipid in this organism, accounting for 25 to 40% of the total phospholipids. The major fatty acid components of the phosphatidylcholine were 14-methyl-pentadecanoic acid (41%), the other C 15 and C 17 iso- and anteiso-fatty acids (29%), and palmitic acid (13.5%). The next most abundant phospholipid was phosphatidylethanolamine (25 to 30%), followed by phosphatidylinositol (11 to 14%) and cardiolipin (7 to 15%). Phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol were very similar to the phosphatidylcholine in fatty acid composition, whereas cardiolipin was characterized by a higher content of palmitic acid (30%). In all of the phospholipids examined, only trace amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids were present. When washed cells of N. coeliaca were incubated with methionine-methyl- 14 C for 1 to 3 hr, the radioactivity was mainly incorporated into the choline moiety of the phosphatidylcholine. In contrast, acetate- 1 - 14 C or glycerol- 1 - 14 C was incorporated much more slowly into the phosphatidylcholine than into the other phospholipids and neutral lipids. No phosphatidylcholine was detected in 10 other species of Nocardia examined.