Correlation of Polar Lipid Composition with 16S rRNA Phylogeny in Methanogens. Further Analysis of Lipid Component Parts.

Qualitative analyses of lipid component parts (core lipids, phospholipid-polar head groups, and glycolipid-sugar moieties) without separation of individual lipids were done for further 14 strains of methanogens. The results confirmed the conclusion of our previous paper (System. Appl. Microbiol. 16, 342 1993) that the distribution of lipid component parts was characteristic to taxonomic groups of methanogens at a family or genus level. Our previous and present analyses of lipid component part distribution of methanogens supported the division of the order Methanomicrobiales into two new orders Methanomicrobiales and "Methanosarcinales" proposed by Boone et al. based on 16S rRNA analyses (Methanogenesis: Ecology, Physiology, Biochemistry, & Genetics, 1993, pp 35-80). The whole results also phenotypically supported the establishment of new families "Methanocaldococcaceae" and "Methanosaetaceae" and new genera "Methanothermococcus", "Methanocaldococcus", "Methanoignis", and "Methanosalsus" proposed by Boone et al.