Cellular polyamines of 45 thermophilic and 8 related mesophilic eubacteria were investigated by HPLC and GC analyses for the thermophilic and chemotaxonomic significance of polyamine distribution profiles. Spermidine and a quaternary branched penta-amine,
N4-bis(aminopropyl)norspermidine, were the major polyamine in
Thermocrinis,
Hydrogenobacter,
Hydrogenobaculum,
Aquifex,
Persephonella,
Sulfurihydrogenibium,
Hydrogenothermus,
Balnearium and
Thermovibrio, located in the order
Aquificales.
Thermodesulfobacterium and
Thermodesulfatator belonging to the order
Thermodesulfobacteriales contained another quaternary penta-amine,
N4-bis(aminopropyl)spermidine. In the order
Thermotogales,
Thermotoga contained spermidine, norspermidine, caldopentamine and homocaldopentamine. The latter two linear penta-amines were not found in
Marinitoga and
Petrotoga. In the order
Thermales,
Thermus and
Marinithermus contained homospermidine, norspermine and the linear penta-amines.
Meiothermus lacked penta-amines.
Vulcanithermus contained linear penta-amines and hexa-amines but not homospermidine.
Oceanithermus contained spermine alone. Within the order
Thermoanaerobacteriales, the two quaternary branched penta-amines were found in
Thermanaeromonas and
Thermoanaerobacter.
Caldanaerobacter contained
N4-bis(aminopropyl)spermidine.
Thermoanaerobacterium lacked penta-amines.
Thermaerobacter of the order
Clostridiales contained
N4-bis(aminopropyl)spermidine and agmatine.
Thermosyntropha,
Thermanaerovibrio,
Thermobrachium (the order
Clostridiales),
Sulfobacillus,
Alicyclobacillus,
Anoxybacillus,
Ureibacillus,
Thermicanus (the order
Bacillales), Desulfotomaculum, Desulfitobacterium and
Pelotomaculum (the family
Peptococcaceae)
ubiquitously contained spermine. Some thermophiles of
Bacillales added linear and branched penta-amines.
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