Minnikin D E, Dobson G, Goodfellow M, Draper P, Magnusson M
J Gen Microbiol. 1985 Aug;131(8):2013-21. doi: 10.1099/00221287-131-8-2013.
The mycolic and fatty acids of three samples each of Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium gordonae were compared. Acids released by whole-organism alkaline hydrolysis were converted to 4-nitrobenzyl esters and mycolic acids were further derivatized to t-butyldimethylsilyl ethers. Thin-layer chromatography of the derivatized long-chain extracts showed that all three M. leprae preparations contained so-called alpha-mycolates and ketomycolates but that the M. gordonae samples had a methoxymycolate in addition to the above types. Silica gel normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of the total mycolic acid derivatives confirmed the lack of detectable amounts of methoxymycolates in M. leprae and reverse-phase chromatography of the individual mycolate types demonstrated the homogeneity of the chain lengths of the mycolic acids in each species. Non-hydroxylated fatty acid 4-nitrobenzyl esters were transformed to methyl esters and examined by gas chromatography. Tuberculostearic (10-methyloctadecanoic) acid was a major component of the lipids of all three M. leprae preparations but it was absent in one M. gordonae strain and a very minor component in the other representatives of this latter species. On the basis of fatty and mycolic acid compositions, therefore, a previously suggested close relationship between M. leprae and M. gordonae was not supported.
对麻风分枝杆菌和戈登分枝杆菌各三个样本的分枝菌酸和脂肪酸进行了比较。通过全菌碱性水解释放的酸被转化为4-硝基苄酯，分枝菌酸进一步衍生为叔丁基二甲基甲硅烷基醚。衍生化长链提取物的薄层色谱显示，所有三种麻风分枝杆菌制剂均含有所谓的α-分枝菌酸酯和酮分枝菌酸酯，但戈登分枝杆菌样本除上述类型外还含有甲氧基分枝菌酸酯。总分枝菌酸衍生物的硅胶正相高效液相色谱证实麻风分枝杆菌中不存在可检测量的甲氧基分枝菌酸酯，各分枝菌酸酯类型的反相色谱表明每个物种中分枝菌酸链长度的均一性。非羟基化脂肪酸4-硝基苄酯被转化为甲酯并通过气相色谱进行检测。结核硬脂酸（10-甲基十八烷酸）是所有三种麻风分枝杆菌制剂脂质的主要成分，但在一株戈登分枝杆菌中不存在，在该物种的其他代表菌株中是非常次要的成分。因此，基于脂肪酸和分枝菌酸组成，先前提出的麻风分枝杆菌和戈登分枝杆菌之间的密切关系未得到支持。
