Enzymatic determination of sn-glycerol-1-phosphate

A sensitive and positive colorimetric method for quantification of sn-glycerol-1-phosphate (G-1-P) is described. The use of G-1-P-specific dehydrogenase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and a tetrazolium salt (an NAD-recycling system) allowed a positive measurement of G-1-P, and caused an increase in sensitivity. Because G-1-P is not only the backbone of the ether glycerolipids in Archaea (formerly archaebacteria) but also the component of lipoteichoic acid polymers from some Gram-positive bacteria, membrane-derived oligosaccharide from Escherichia coli, unacylated moiety of phosphatidylglycerol from bacteria and mitochondria, and some phosphoglycolipids of lactic acid bacteria, this method may be useful in the structural and metabolic studies of these materials.