Monoglucosyloxyoctadecenoic Acid-a Glycolipid from Aspergillus niger
Abstract
Details are given of the purification and structure of an apparently novel type of fungal glycolipid. It was obtained in a relatively pure form by fractionation of the acetone-soluble lipids of Aspergillus niger by Florosil column chromatography and finally purified by preparative thin-layer chromatography. On the basis of the evidence obtained from mass spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, chromatographic procedures, and the alkaline stability of the glycolipid, we propose that it is a monoglucoside of a trans-2-hydroxy octadecenoic acid. The acidic nature of the glycolipid, combined with its relative prominence (about 6 % of the total lipid), when phospholipid was depleted (less than 2% of the total lipid), indicated that it had an important role in the structure and function of the fungal membranes. © 1972, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.