Structural identification of a major mitogenic lipid derived from Bacillus subtilis as a glycerophosphoglycolipid

The structure of mitogenic lipids from Bacillus subtilis was analyzed to determine the mechanisms that mediate the mitogenic activity of bacterialglycerophosphoglycolipids. The lipid structure was elucidated as 1,2-diacyl-3-omicron-[6-(sn-glycero-1-phospho)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl- (1-6)-beta-D-[glucopyranosyl]glycerol. The microbial mitogenic lipid also exhibited a mitogenically active but less potent glycolipid with esterified fatty acids in the head group.