Facile Preparation of Deuterium-Labeled Standards of Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) and Its Metabolites to Quantitatively Analyze the Disposition of Exogenous IAA in Arabidopsis thaliana

[2′,2′-²H₂]-indole-3-acetic acid ([2′,2′-²H₂]IAA) was prepared in an easy and efficient manner involving base-catalyzed hydrogen/deuterium exchange. 1-O-([2′,2′-²H₂]-indole-3-acetyl)-β-D-glucopyranose, [2′,2′-²H₂]-2-oxoindole-3-acetic acid, and 1-O-([2′,2′-²H₂]-2-oxoindole-3-acetyl)-β-D-glucopyranose were also successfully synthesized from deuterated IAA, and effectively utilized as internal standards in the quantitative analysis of IAA and its metabolites in Arabidopsis thaliana by using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). The use of this technique shows that these metabolites were accumulated in the roots of Arabidopsis seedlings. Dynamic changes in the metabolites of IAA were observed in response to exogenous IAA, revealing that each metabolic action was regulated differently to contribute to the IAA homeostasis in Arabidopsis.     

Quantitative Analysis of Indole-3-Acetic Acid Metabolites in Arabidopsis

A general gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (MS)-based screen was performed to identify catabolites and conjugates of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) during vegetative growth of Arabidopsis. This experiment revealed the existence of two new conjugates: N-(indole-3-acetyl)-alfa-alanine (IA-Ala) and N-(indole-3-acetyl)-alfa-leucine (IA-Leu). A method for quantitative analysis of IAA metabolites in plant extracts by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem MS has been developed. The accuracy and precision of the new method are better than 10% for standards close to the detection limit, and are between 6% and 16% for the entire protocol applied to plant extracts. The low detection limits, 0.02 to 0.1 pmol for the different metabolites, made it possible to use as little as 50 to 100 mg of tissue for quantitative analysis. The analysis was performed on different tissues of an Arabidopsis plant at two stages of development, using heavy labeled internal standards of the catabolite 2-oxoindole-3-acetic acid as well as IAA conjugated to amino acids: aspartate, glutamate, Ala, and Leu. Expanding leaves and roots that generally contain high amounts of the free hormone also contained the highest levels of IA-aspartate, IA-glutamate, and 2-oxoindole-3-acetic acid, supporting their role as irreversible catabolic products. The levels of IA-Leu and IA-Ala did not follow the general distribution of IAA. Interestingly, the level of IA-Leu was highest in roots and IA-Ala in the aerial tissues.     

Three oxidative metabolites of indole-3-acetic acid from Arabidopsis thaliana

Three metabolites of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), N-(6-hydroxyindol-3-ylacetyl)-phenylalanine (6-OH-IAA-Phe), N-(6-hydroxyindol-3-ylacetyl)-valine (6-OH-IAA-Val), and 1-O-(2-oxoindol-3-ylacetyl)-beta-d-glucopyranose (OxIAA-Glc), were found by a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS)-based search for oxidative IAA metabolites during the vegetative growth of Arabidopsis. Their structures were confirmed by making a comparison of chromatographic characteristics and mass spectra between naturally occurring compounds and synthetic standards. An incorporation study using deuterium-labeled compounds showed that 6-OH-IAA-Phe and 6-OH-IAA-Val were biosynthesized from IAA-Phe and IAA-Val, respectively, which strongly suggested the formation of these amino acid conjugates of IAA in plants. Both 6-OH-IAA-Phe and 6-OH-IAA-Val were inactive as auxins, as indicated by no significant root growth inhibition in Arabidopsis. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that OxIAA-Glc was present in the largest amount among the metabolites of IAA in Arabidopsis, suggesting that the conversion into OxIAA-Glc represents the main metabolic process regarding IAA in Arabidopsis.     

Synthesis of modified tetrasaccharide sequences of N-glycoproteins

The tetrasaccharides O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-(1----3)-O-[alpha-D- mannopyranosyl-(1----6)]-O-(4-deoxy-beta-D-lyxo-hexopyranosyl)-(1- ---4)-2- acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha, beta-D-glycopyranose (22) and O-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-(1----3)-O-[alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-(1----6)]-O- beta-D-talopyranosyl-(1----4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha, beta-D- glucopyranose (37), closely related to the tetrasaccharide core structure of N-glycoproteins, were synthesized. Starting with 1,6-anhydro-2,3-di-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-mannopyranose, the glycosyl donors 3,6-di-O-acetyl-2-O-benzyl-2,4-dideoxy-alpha-D-lyxo- hexopyranosyl bromide (10) and 3,6-di-O-acetyl-2,4-di-O-benzyl-alpha-D-talopyranosyl bromide (30), were obtained in good yield. Coupling of 10 or 30 with 1,6-anhydro-2-azido-3-O-benzyl-beta-D-glucopyranose to give, respectively, the disaccharides 1,6-anhydro-2-azido-3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-4-O-(3,6-di-O-acetyl-2-O-benzyl-4 -deoxy- beta-D-lyxo-hexopyranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranose and 1,6-anhydro-2-azido-3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-4-O-(3,6-di-O-acetyl-2,4-di-O-ben zyl- beta-D-talopyranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranose was achieved with good selectivity by catalysis with silver silicate. Simultaneous glycosylation of OH-3' and OH-6' of the respective disaccharides with 2-O-acetyl-3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl chloride yielded tetrasaccharide derivatives, which were deblocked into the desired tetrasaccharides 22 and 37.     

Inhibition of conjugation of indole-3-acetic acid with amino acids by 2,6-dihydroxyacetophenone in Teucrium canadense

2,6-Dihydroxyacetophenone and five structurally related compounds were tested for their effects on metabolism of[2-¹⁴C]IAA in stem segments of 3-week-old American germander (Teucrium canadense). Pre-treatment of the plants with 2 mM 2,6-dihydroxyacetophenone for 12 hr significantly reduced the formation of two radioactive metabolites, which were tentatively identified as N-(indole-3-acetyl)-L-aspartic acid and N-(indole-3-acetyl)-L-glutamic acid. The chemical pre-treatment also decreased the level of a less polar metabolite chromatographically indistinguishable from oxindole-3-acetic acid, an oxidative product of IAA, and other unidentified metabolites of IAA. Concomitantly, the level of free [2-¹⁴C]IAA increased significantly in the treated tissue. 2,4-, 2,5- and 3,4-Dihydroxyacetophenones, as well as 3-bromo-2,6-dihydroxyacetophenone and 2-hydroxy-6-methoxyacetophenone, did not show a similar effect.     

Metabolism of [14C]-indole-3-acetic acid by soybean callus and hypocotyl sections

Metabolism of indole-3-acetic acid in soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] was investigated with [1-¹⁴C]- and [2-¹⁴C]-indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) applied by injection into soybean hypocotyl sections and by incubation with soybean callus. Free IAA and its metabolites were extracted with 80% methanol and separated by high performance liquid chromatography with [³H]-IAA as an internal standard. Metabolism of IAA in soybean callus was much greater than that in tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L.) callus used for comparison. High performance liquid chromatography of soybean extracts showed at least 10 metabolite peaks including both decarboxylated and undecarboxylated products. A major unstable decarboxylated metabolite was purified. [¹⁴C]-indole-3-methanol (IM) was three times more efficient than [2-¹⁴C]-IAA as substrate for producing this metabolite. It was hydrolyzable by β-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21), yielding an indole and D-glucose. The indole possessed characteristics of authentic IM. Thus, the metabolite is tentatively identified as indole-3-methanol-β-D-glucopyranoside. The results suggest that soybean tissues are capable of oxidizing IAA via the decarboxylative pathway with indole-3-methanol-glucoside as a major product. The high rate of metabolism of IAA may be related to the observed growth of soybean callus with high concentrations of IAA in the culture medium.     

Metabolism of indole-3-acetic acid by orange (Citrus sinensis) flavedo tissue during fruit development

[5-3H, 1'-14C, 13C6, 12C] Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), was applied to the flavedo (epicarp) of intact orange fruits at different stages of development. After incubation in the dark, at 25 degrees C, the tissue was extracted with MeOH and the partially purified extracts were analyzed by reversed phase HPLC-RC. Six major metabolite peaks were detected and subsequently analyzed by combined HPLC-frit-FAB MS. The metabolite peak 6 contained oxindole-3-acetic acid (OxIAA), indole-3-acetyl-N-aspartic acid (IAAsp) and also indole-3-acetyl-N-glutamic acid (IAGlu). The nature of metabolite 5 remains unknown. Metabolites 3 and 4 were diastereomers of oxindole-3-acetyl-N-aspartic acid (OxIAAsp). Metabolite 2 was identified as dioxindole-3-acetic acid and metabolite 1 as a DiOx-IAA linked in position three to a hexose, which is suggested to be 3-(-O-beta-glucosyl) dioxindole-3-acetic acid (DiOxIAGlc). Identification work as well as feeding experiments with the [5-3H]IAA labeled metabolites suggest that IAA is metabolized in flavedo tissue mainly through two pathways, namely IAA-OxIAA-DiOxIAA-DiOxIAGlc and IAA-IAAsp-OxIAAsp. The flavedo of citrus fruit has a high capacity for IAA catabolism until the beginning of fruit senescence, with the major route having DiOxIAGlc as end product. This capacity is operative even at high IAA concentrations and is accelerated by pretreatment with the synthetic auxins 2,4-D, NAA and the gibberellin GA3.     

Paviosides A-H, eight new oleane type saponins from Aesculus pavia with cytotoxic activity

A phytochemical analysis of Aesculus pavia has led to the isolation of eight novel triterpenoid saponins, based on oleane type skeleton and named paviosides A-H (1a, 1b-4a, 4b). On the basis of chemical, and 2D NMR and mass spectrometry data, the structures of the new compounds were elucidated as 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 2)] [-β-d-glucopyranosyl (1 → 4)]-β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid 21-tigloyl-22-acetyl barringtogenol C (1a), 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 2)] [-β-D-glucopyranosyl (1 → 4)]-β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid 21-angeloyl-22-acetyl barringtogenol C (1b), 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 2)] [-β-D-galactopyranosyl (1 → 4)]-β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid 21-tigloyl-22-acetyl barringtogenol C (2a), 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 2)] [-β-D-galactopyranosyl (1 → 4)]-β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid 21-angeloyl-22-acetyl barringtogenol C (2b), 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 2)] [-β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 4)]-β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid 21-tigloyl-22-acetyl barringtogenol C (3a), 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 2)] [-β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 4)]-β-d-glucopyranosiduronic acid 21-angeloyl-22-acetyl barringtogenol C (3b), 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 2)] [-β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 4)]-β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid 21-tigloyl-22-acetyl protoaescigenin (4a), and 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 2)] [-β-D-xylopyranosyl (1 → 4)]-β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid 21-angeloyl-22-acetyl protoaescigenin (4b). The compounds showed cytotoxic activity on J-774, murine monocyte/macrophage, and WEHI-164, murine fibrosarcoma, cell lines. Among them, paviosides E-H (3a, 3b and 4a, 4b) showed higher activity with values ranging from 2.1 to 3.6 μg/mL. Structure-activity relationship studies indicated the positive effect on the activity of xylose unit in the place of glucose, while a little detrimental effect is observed when glucose is substituted by galactose. The aglycone structure and the presence of a tigloyl or an angeloyl group at C-21 do not affect significantly the inhibitory activity on both tested cell lines.     

Indole-3-acetic acid is synthesized from L-tryptophan in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana

The promoter of the nit1 gene, encoding the predominantly expressed isoform of the Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. nitrilase isoenzyme family, fused to the β-glucuronidase gene (uidA) drives β-glucuronidase expression in the root system of transgenic A. thaliana and tobacco plants. This expression pattern was shown to be controlled developmentally, suggesting that the early differentiation zone of root tips and the tissue surrounding the zone of lateral root primordia formation may constitute sites of auxin biosynthesis in plants. The root system of A. thaliana was shown to express functional nitrilase enzyme. When sterile roots were fed [²H]₅-L-tryptophan, they converted this precusor to [²H]₅-indole-3-acetonitrile and [²H]₅-indole-3-acetic acid. This latter metabolite was further metabolized into base-labile conjugates which were the predominant form of [²H]₅-indole-3-acetic acid extracted from roots. When [1-¹³C]-indole-3-acetonitrile was fed to sterile roots, it was converted to [1-¹³C]-indole-3-acetic acid which was further converted to conjugates. The results prove that the A. thaliana root system is an autonomous site of indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis from L-tryptophan. Received: 3 February 1998 / Accepted: 17 April 1998     

A Novel Metabolic Pathway for Indole-3-Acetic Acid in Apical Shoots of Populus tremula (L.) x Populus tremuloides (Michx.)

Metabolism of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in apical shoots of Populus tremula (L.) x Populus tremuloides (Michx.) was investigated by feeding a mixture of [12C]IAA, [13C6]IAA, and [1[prime]-14C]IAA through the base of the excised stem. HPLC of methanolic plant extracts revealed eight major radiolabeled metabolites after a 24-h incubation period. Comparison between feeds with [5-3H]IAA and [1[prime]-14C]IAA showed that all detectable metabolites were nondecarboxylative products. The purified radiolabeled HPLC fractions were screened by frit-fast atom bombardment liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for compounds with characteristic fragment pairs originating from the application with 12C and 13C isotopes. Samples of interest were further characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Using this procedure, oxindole-3-acetic acid (OxIAA), indole-3-acetyl-N-aspartic acid (IAAsp), oxindole-3-acetyl-N-aspartic acid (OxIAAsp), and ring-hydroxylated oxindole-3-acetic acid were all identified as IAA metabolites. Furthermore, a novel metabolic pathway from IAA via IAAsp and OxIAAsp to OxIAA was established on the basis of refeeding experiments with the different IAA metabolites.     

Identification of the metabolites of Indole-3-acetic acid in growing hypocotyls of Lupinus albus

The products of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) metabolism by incubating hypocotyl sections and decapitated seedlings of Lupinus albus were investigated. Single treatments using [1-¹⁴C]-IAA, [2-¹⁴C]-IAA or [5-³H]-IAA and double treatments using [1-¹⁴C]-IAA+[5-³H]-IAA were carried out. Extracts from treated plant material were analyzed by paper chromatography (PC), Thin layer chromatography (TLC), and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). When hypocotyl sections were incubated in [2-¹⁴C]-IAA, several IAA decarboxylation products including indole-3-aldehyde (IA1), indole-3-methanol (IM), 3-hydroxymethyloxindole (HMOx), methyleneoxindole (MOx) and 3,3-bisindolylmethane (BIM) were detected in the 95% ethanol extract; a latter extraction with 1M NaOH rendered IAA, IM and BIM, suggesting that conjugated auxins were formed in addition to conjugated IM. In sections incubated with [1-¹⁴C]-IAA, the 1M NaOH extraction also produced IAA so confirming the formation of conjugated auxins. The same decarboxylation products and two conjugated auxins, indole-3-acetylaspartic acid (IAAsp) and 1-O-(indole-3-acetyl)--D-glucose (IAGlu), were detected in the acetonitrile extracts from decapitated seedlings treated with [5-³H]-IAA. After a double isotope treatment ([1-¹⁴C]-IAA+[5-³H]-IAA) of decapitated seedlings, the ratio ¹⁴C/³H measured in the HPLC fractions of the acetonitrile extracts confirmed the presence of decarboxylation products as well as conjugated auxins.     

Transport of indole-3-butyric acid and indole-3-acetic acid in Arabidopsis hypocotyls using stable isotope labeling

The polar transport of the natural auxins indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) has been described in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) hypocotyls using radioactive tracers. Because radioactive assays alone cannot distinguish IBA from its metabolites, the detected transport from applied [3H]IBA may have resulted from the transport of IBA metabolites, including IAA. To test this hypothesis, we used a mass spectrometry-based method to quantify the transport of IBA in Arabidopsis hypocotyls by following the movement of [13C1]IBA and the [13C1]IAA derived from [13C1]IBA. We also assayed [13C6]IAA transport in a parallel control experiment. We found that the amount of transported [13C1]IBA was dramatically lower than [13C6]IAA, and the IBA transport was not reduced by the auxin transport inhibitor N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid. Significant amounts of the applied [13C1]IBA were converted to [13C1]IAA during transport, but [13C1]IBA transport was independent of IBA-to-IAA conversion. We also found that most of the [13C1]IBA was converted to ester-linked [13C1]IBA at the apical end of hypocotyls, and ester-linked [13C1]IBA was also found in the basal end at a level higher than free [13C1]IBA. In contrast, most of the [13C6]IAA was converted to amide-linked [13C6]IAA at the apical end of hypocotyls, but very little conjugated [13C6]IAA was found in the basal end. Our results demonstrate that the polar transport of IBA is much lower than IAA in Arabidopsis hypocotyls, and the transport mechanism is distinct from IAA transport. These experiments also establish a method for quantifying the movement of small molecules in plants using stable isotope labeling.     

活性氧对外源IAA诱导的ACC合酶活性的影响

本文试图从活性氧的角度阐明外源IAA诱导ACC合酶活性的机制.绿豆(Phaseolus radiatus L.)幼苗的乙烯产生及ACC合酶活性从萌发的第5天开始上升,到第10天达到高峰,接着下降.10 μmol/L的外源IAA能明显促进绿豆幼苗乙烯的产生及ACC合酶的活性,同时也促进了超氧阴离子自由基(O(-)/(*)2)、过氧化氢(H2O2)的产生.显示外源IAA诱导的ACC合酶的活性与其诱导的活性氧的产生具有某种相关性.外源O(-)/(*)2处理能明显提高绿豆幼苗的乙烯产生速率及ACC合酶的活性,而外源H2O2无论对乙烯产生或ACC合酶的活性均没有明显的作用.外加O(-)/(*)2的清除剂SOD对绿豆幼苗乙烯的产生及ACC合酶活性的提高有一定的抑制作用,而外源过氧化氢酶却没有明显的作用.为此我们可以得出结论:外源IAA诱导的绿豆幼苗ACC合酶活性的提高可能是由于其诱导的O(-)/(*)2产生的升高引起的,这可能也是高等植物中调控乙烯生物合成的机制之一;而IAA诱导的H2O2产率的升高并不是其诱导ACC合酶活性升高的原因.     

AXR2 encodes a member of the Aux/IAA protein family

The dominant gain-of-function axr2-1 mutation of Arabidopsis causes agravitropic root and shoot growth, a short hypocotyl and stem, and auxin-resistant root growth. We have cloned the AXR2 gene using a map-based approach, and find that it is the same as IAA7, a member of the IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) family of auxin-inducible genes. The axr2-1 mutation changes a single amino acid in conserved domain II of AXR2/IAA7. We isolated loss-of-function mutations in AXR2/IAA7 as intragenic suppressors of axr2-1 or in a screen for insertion mutations in IAA genes. A null mutant has a slightly longer hypocotyl than wild-type plants, indicating that AXR2/IAA7 controls development in light-grown seedlings, perhaps in concert with other gene products. Dark-grown axr2-1 mutant plants have short hypocotyls and make leaves, suggesting that activation of AXR2/IAA7 is sufficient to induce morphological responses normally elicited by light. Previously described semidominant mutations in two other Arabidopsis IAA genes cause some of the same phenotypes as axr2-1, but also cause distinct phenotypes. These results illustrate functional differences among members of the Arabidopsis IAA gene family.     

Increased auxin efflux in the IAA-overproducing sur1 mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana: A mechanism of reducing auxin levels?

With the aim of investigating the mechanisms that maintain auxin homeostasis in plants, we have monitored the net uptake and metabolism of exogenously supplied indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and naphthalene-1-acetic acid (NAA) in seedlings of wild type and the IAA-overproducing mutant sur1 of Arabidopsis thaliana . Tritiated IAA and NAA entered the seedling tissues within minutes and were mostly accumulated as metabolites, probably amino acid and sugar conjugates. The mutant seedlings were marked by a strong increase of [³H]IAA metabolism and a reduction of the accumulation levels of both free [³H]IAA and [³H]NAA. The same characteristics were observed in wild-type seedlings grown on 5 μ M picloram. We measured [³H]NAA uptake in the presence of high concentrations of unlabeled NAA or the auxin efflux carrier inhibitor naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA). This abolished the difference in free [³H]NAA accumulation between the mutant or picloram-treated seedlings and wild-type seedlings. These data indicated that active auxin efflux carriers were present in Arabidopsis seedling tissues. Picloram-treated seedlings and seedlings of the IAA-overproducing mutant sur1 displayed increased auxin efflux carrier activity as well as elevated conjugation of IAA. There is previous evidence to suggest that conjugation is a means to remove excess IAA in plant cells. Here, we discuss the possibility of efflux constituting an additional mechanism for regulating free IAA levels in the face of an excess auxin supply.     

Auxin biosynthesis in maize kernels

Auxin biosynthesis was analyzed in a maize (Zea mays) kernel culture system in which the seeds develop under physiological conditions similar to the in vivo situation. This system was modified for precursor feeding experiments. Tryptophan (Trp) is efficiently incorporated into indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) with retention of the 3, 3' bond. Conversion of Trp to IAA is not competed by indole. Labeling with the general precursors [U-(13)C(6)]glucose and [1, 2-(13)C(2)]acetate followed by retrobiosynthetic analysis strongly suggest that Trp-dependent IAA synthesis is the predominant route for auxin biosynthesis in the maize kernel. The synthesis of IAA from indole glycerol phosphate and IAA formation via condensation of indole with an acetyl-coenzyme A or phosphoenolpyruvate derived metabolite can be excluded.     

A gamma-pyronyl-triterpenoid saponin from Pisum sativum.

A new triterpenoid saponin was isolated from Pisum sativum and characterized as 3-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1----2)-beta-D-galactopyranosyl(1----2)-be ta- D-glucuronopyranosyl(1----)]-22-O-[3'-hydroxy-2'-methyl-5',6'-dihy dro-4'- pyrone(6'----)]-3 beta, 22 beta, 24-trihydroxyolean-12-ene. The name chromosaponin I is proposed. Chromosaponin I yielded soyasaponin I, known as phytochrome inhibitor, during extraction, but the latter was not found in the free form in this plant.     

Structures of minor ether lipids isolated from the aceticlastic methanogen, Methanothrix concilii GP6

Structures were determined for two phospholipids and three glycolipids purified from chloroform-methanol extracts of Methanothrix concilii GP6. Together they accounted for 14% of the total lipid and were based on a C20,20-diether core structure consisting of either 2,3-di-O-phytanyl-sn-glycerol or its 3'-hydroxy analog, namely, 2-O-[3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadecyl]-3-O-[3'- hydroxy-3',7',11',15'-tetramethylhexadecyl]-sn-glycerol. These two core lipids formed phosphodiester bonds to ethanolamine and glycosidic bonds to beta-D-galactopyranose. A third glycolipid consisted of the triglycosyl head group beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1----6)-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1----3)]-beta-D - galactopyranose in glycosidic linkage to the 3'-hydroxydiether core lipid.