Open AccessOrnithine lipids and their structural modifications: from A to E and beyond
Author(s) -
VencesGuzmán Miguel Á.,
Geiger Otto,
Sohlenkamp Christian
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2012.02623.x
Subject(s) - biochemistry , fatty acid , bacteria , ornithine , amide , moiety , archaea , biology , membrane lipids , chemistry , membrane , amino acid , stereochemistry , gene , genetics , arginine
Ornithine lipids ( OL s) are phosphorus‐free membrane lipids that are widespread in eubacteria, but absent from archaea and eukaryotes. They contain a 3‐hydroxy fatty acyl group attached in amide linkage to the α‐amino group of the amino acid ornithine. A second fatty acyl group is ester‐linked to the 3‐hydroxy position of the first fatty acid. About 25% of the bacterial species whose genomes have been sequenced are predicted to have the capacity to form OL s. Distinct OL hydroxylations have been described in the ester‐linked fatty acid, the amide‐linked fatty acid, and the ornithine moiety. These modifications often seem to form part of a bacterial stress response to changing environmental conditions, allowing the bacteria to adjust membrane properties by simply modifying already existing membrane lipids without the need to synthesize new lipids.