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Sulphonium analogue of lecithin in diatoms

Nature volume 263, pages 51–53 (1976)Cite this article

Abstract

PHOSPHATIDYL choline (lecithin) is the most widespread of the phospholipid membrane components of eukaryotic cells, being present in virtually all those investigated so far. The exceptions noted until recently have been blue-green algae1, the yeast-like fungus Pullularia pullulans2 and the phytoflagellate, Ochromonas danica2. We report here a sulphonium analogue of phosphatidyl choline which completely replaces lecithin in the non-photo-synthetic diatom, Nitzschia alba4. The new phospholipid is a phosphatidyl S,S-dimethyl mercaptoethanol (phosphatidyl sulphocholine) with the following structure:

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Author information

Author notes

  1. M. KATES: To whom correspondence should be addessed

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada, K1N 6N5

    R. ANDERSON & M. KATES

  2. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093

    B. E. VOLCANI

Authors
  1. R. ANDERSON
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  2. M. KATES
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  3. B. E. VOLCANI
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ANDERSON, R., KATES, M. & VOLCANI, B. Sulphonium analogue of lecithin in diatoms. Nature 263, 51–53 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/263051a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/263051a0

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