Composition and Thermal Properties of Membrane Lipids in Cryptoendolithic Lichen Microbiota from Antarctica

In Antarctica there exists a cryptoendolithic microbiota which survives extremely low temperatures. Fatty acid analysis of the membrane phospholipids of this microbial community showed a predominance of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Artificial membranes made from the purified community phospholipids...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Main Authors: Finegold, Leonard, Singer, Michael A., Federle, Thomas W., Vestal, J. Robie
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Society for Microbiology 1990
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.56.4.1191-1194.1990
https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/aem.56.4.1191-1194.1990
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Summary:In Antarctica there exists a cryptoendolithic microbiota which survives extremely low temperatures. Fatty acid analysis of the membrane phospholipids of this microbial community showed a predominance of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Artificial membranes made from the purified community phospholipids remained fluid to below −20°C and had unusual hydration properties.