Membrane lipid composition of the unusual cyanobacterium Gloeobacter violaceus sp. PCC 7421, which lacks sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol

Gloeobacter violaceus sp. PCC 7421 is an unusual cyanobacterium with only one cellular membrane, which lacks the thylakoid membranes found in other oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. The cell membrane lipids in G. violaceus sp. PCC 7421 are monogalactosyl diacylglycerol, digalactosyl diacylglycerol, phosphatidyl glycerol and phosphatidic acid in the molar proportion of 51, 24, 18 and 4% respectively. This lipid composition resembles that of the cell membrane from other cyanobacteria, but completely lacks sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol. This lack of sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol is exceptional for a photosynthetic membrane. The membrane lipids are esterified to 14:0, 16:0, 16:1, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2 and α18:3 fatty acids. Received: 28 December 1995 / Accepted: 26 April 1996