Menaquinone patterns of Amycolatopsis species

The menaquinones of representative strains of the actinomycete genus Amycolatopsis were examined by reverse phase thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometry. Representatives of all seven validly described species contained various combinations of di-, tetra- and hexahydrogenated menaquinones with nine isoprene units as predominant isoprenologues. It seems likely that the variation in the predominant menaquinones merely reflects the stages from the growth cycle from which biomass was taken. The detection of major proportions of hydrogenated menaquinones with nine isoprene units serves to distinguish Amycolatopsis strains from most other actinomycetes, notably those belonging to related genera such as Amycolata and Pseudonocardia.