Isolation and characterization of inositol sphingophospholipids from Phytophthora parasitica Dastur

Several inositol sphingophospholipids (ISPL) were isolated from mycelia of Phytophthora parasitica Dastur, a phytopathogenic fungus of carnation. The ISPL structures were determined by fast atom bombardment. All ISPL consisted of ceramides linked to inositol phosphate. We investigated the effect of growth conditions on the ISPL produced in four different media that are commonly used for fungal cultures. We showed that P. parasitica Dastur synthesized four major classes of compounds with molecular weights of M(r) = 751, 807, 835, and 849 containing the 16:1 base and the 16:0 or 20:0 or 22:0 or 22h:1 N-acyl group. The relative abundance of the different ISPL is dependent on growth conditions.