This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Poincelot, R. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Poincelot, R. P. Agricola Articles by Poincelot, R. P.

Articles

Differences in Lipid Composition between Undifferentiated and Mature Maize Chloroplasts

Department of Biochemistry, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut 06504

Lipid compositions of undifferentiated maize (Zea mays) chloroplasts, capable of fixing CO₂, were compared with the lipid compositions of mature chloroplasts, which do not fix CO₂, located in both the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. The major lipids found in all three chloroplast types were the glycolipids, monogalactosyl diglyceride and digalactosyl diglyceride, followed by decreasing amounts of sulfolipid, phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl inositol, and diphosphatidyl glycerol. Quantitative differences in lipid components were observed among the chloroplast types. The mesophyll and bundle sheath maize chloroplasts differed in their chlorophyll a/chlorophyll b ratios (2.27 and 4.13 respectively) and their content of glycolipid relative to chlorophyll (51.8% glycolipid to 20.9% chlorophyll and 84.5% glycolipid to 10.1% chlorophyll respectively). A comparison between the lipid compositions of maize mesophyll chloroplasts and mesophyll chloroplasts obtained from spinach, sugar beet, and tobacco showed many similarities.