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Characterization and metabolism of free fatty alcohols from Escherichia coli
Author(s) -
Naccarato William F.,
Gelman Rose A.,
Kawalek Joseph C.,
Gilbertson John R.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/bf02532644
Subject(s) - fatty alcohol , chemistry , alcohol , alcohol oxidation , primary alcohol , metabolism , clinical chemistry , fatty acid , oxygen , primary (astronomy) , biochemistry , mass spectrometry , organic chemistry , gas chromatography , escherichia coli , chromatography , catalysis , gene , physics , astronomy
Abstract Free fatty acohols have been established as lipid components of E. coli K‐12 . Using combined gas liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry, the major alcohols in aerobically grown cells were identified as 1‐tetradecanol (18%), 1‐hexadecanol (28%), 1‐octadecanol (14%), and 2‐pentadecanol (27%). Small amounts of 1‐hexadecenol (3%), 2‐tridecanol (8%), and 2‐tetradecanol (1.5%) were also detected. Analysis of anaerobically grown cells has shown a selective decrease of the secondary alcohols. 2‐Pentadecanol was present as only 7% of the total alcohol fraction, and only traces of 2‐tridecanol and 2‐tetradecanol were found. The major alcohols in anaerobic cells were 1‐tetradecanol, 1‐pentadecanol, 1‐hexadecenol and 1‐hexadecanol. The above observations strongly suggest two pathways for the synthesis of fatty alcohols in E. coli . One pathway synthesizes the primary alcohols and does not require molecular oxygen, and a separate pathway synthesizes the secondary alcohols and has a requirement for molecular oxygen.