Steroids and Squalene in Methylococcus capsulatus grown on Methane

THE ubiquitous occurrence of steroids in nature, and their fundamental importance for plant and animal life, are well known. Until 1967, steroids had been encountered only in eukaryotic organisms, and had not been detected in prokaryotic organisms, the bacteria and blue–green algae. In recent years,...

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Published in:Nature (London) 1971-04, Vol.230 (5294), p.473-474
Main Authors: BIRD, C. W, LYNCH, J. M, PIRT, F. J, REID, W. W, BROOKS, C. J. W, MIDDLEDITCH, B. S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria - analysis
Bacteria - growth & development
Bacteria - metabolism
Chromatography, Gas
Chromatography, Thin Layer
Culture Media
Humanities and Social Sciences
letter
Methane - pharmacology
multidisciplinary
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Spectrum Analysis
Squalene - analysis
Squalene - biosynthesis
Steroids - analysis
Steroids - biosynthesis
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Summary:THE ubiquitous occurrence of steroids in nature, and their fundamental importance for plant and animal life, are well known. Until 1967, steroids had been encountered only in eukaryotic organisms, and had not been detected in prokaryotic organisms, the bacteria and blue–green algae. In recent years, sterols and the sterol precursor, squalene, have been detected in several classes of such organisms (Table 1). Quantitative studies are few, but they indicate that the amounts of steroids (expressed as a percentage of dry weight of organism) found in the prokaryotes are substantially lower than those of eukaryotes. Here we report that the bacterium Methylococcus capsulatus , grown on methane as the sole carbon source, contains comparatively large amounts of squalene and sterols.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/230473a0