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    Exploring the distribution and physiological roles of bacterial membrane lipids in the marine environment

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    Saenz_thesis.pdf (9.184Mb)
    Date
    2010-06
    Author
    Saenz, James P.  Concept link
    Metadata
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    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4081
    Location
    Waquoit Bay, Cape Cod, MA
    DOI
    10.1575/1912/4081
    Keyword
     Fatty acids; Marine bacteria 
    Abstract
    Lipids have a legacy in the geologic record extending back to the Archaean. Since the phylogenetic diversity of life is reflected in the structural diversity of biomolecules, lipid biomarkers that are shown to be diagnostic of certain organisms that carry out specific biochemical processes or that are demonstrated to have unique physiological roles can be used to trace the biogeochemical influence of bacteria in modern and ancient environments. In this thesis I explore the application of two classes of bacterial membrane lipids as biomarkers for marine biogeochemical processes in marine environments: ladderanes and hopanoids. Through the detection of ladderane lipids – biomarkers for anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria – I demonstrate the presence and distribution of anammox bacteria in a subterranean estuary. Through a survey of hopanoids in marine environments and cultured marine cyanobacteria I show that hopanoids are ubiquitous in the oceans and that their presence in ancient marine sediments could provide information about biogeochemical processes in past environments. Based on novel results demonstrating that hopanoids are resistant to extraction by non-ionic detergent, I propose that they may play a role in lipid ordering and the formation of putative lipid rafts in hopanoid-producing bacteria.
    Description
    Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution June 2010
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    • WHOI Theses
    • Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry (MC&G)
    Suggested Citation
    Thesis: Saenz, James P., "Exploring the distribution and physiological roles of bacterial membrane lipids in the marine environment", 2010-06, DOI:10.1575/1912/4081, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4081
     

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