On the relationship between glycerophosphoglycolipids and lipoteichoic acids in Gram-positive bacteria. I. The occurrence of phosphoglycolipids.

1. Gram-positive bacteria out of the families of Streptococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Micrococcaceae and Bacillaceae were investigated with respect to the occurrence and the concentration of phosphoglycolipids. 2. Phosphatidylglycolipids occur exclusively in group D Streptococci and in Streptococcus hemolyticus D-58. Phosphatidyl-alpha-kojibiosyldiacylglycerol, the prevalent species, accounts for up to 28% of the polar lipids. The related glycerophospho-phosphatidyl-alpha-kojibiosyldiacylglycerol is restricted to Streptococcus faecalis. 3. Glycerophosphoglycolipids, usually minor components, comprise thirteen compounds most of which have so far not been described. Except Micrococcus lysodeikticus all examined bacteria contained one or more glycerophosphoglycolipids. Their occurrence parallels, therefore, that of lipoteichoic acids, which supports the hypothesis of a metabolic relationship between these two membrane components.