Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1975 Sep;123(3):1006-12.
doi: 10.1128/jb.123.3.1006-1012.1975.

Carotenoid pigments of facultatively anaerobic spirochetes

Carotenoid pigments of facultatively anaerobic spirochetes

E P Greenberg et al. J Bacteriol. 1975 Sep.

Abstract

Carotenoid pigments were purified from a previously undescribed, red, halophilic spirochete (spirochete RS1), and from Spirochaeta aurantia strain J1. Both spirochetes are facultative anaerobes and produce pigments when growing aerobically. The major pigments of the two spirochetes were identified by means of chromatographic analysis, absorption spectroscopy, hydride reduction, acetylation and silylation experiments, and mass spectrometry. It was concluded that the major pigment from spirochete RS1 was 4-keto-1',2'-dihydro-1'-hydroxytorulene. This conclusion was further supported by infrared spectroscopy and additional analytical data. The evidence showed that the major pigment from S. aurantia was 1',2'-dihydro-1'-hydroxytorulene. Chromatographic and spectrophotometric evidence indicated that this pigment was also present, as a minor carotenoid component, in spirochete RS1. These pigments have been previously detected almost exclusively in gliding bacteria, such as species of Flexibacter, Stigmatella, and Myxococcus. The occurrence of 4-keto-1',2'-dihydro-1'-hydroxytorulene and 1',2'-dihydro-1'-hydroxytorulene in both spirochetes and gliding bacteria may have significance with respect to the evolutionary development of these organisms.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Acta Chem Scand. 1968;22(3):1054-5 - PubMed
    1. Arch Mikrobiol. 1969;68(3):210-7 - PubMed
    1. J Bacteriol. 1969 Jan;97(1):386-95 - PubMed
    1. Arch Microbiol. 1974;100(1):5-24 - PubMed
    1. Arch Mikrobiol. 1973;89(4):273-89 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources