The lipid composition of a barley mutant lacking chlorophyll b

Abstract

The acyl-lipid composition of a barley mutant that contained no detectable chlorophyll b was studied. This mutant contained chloroplasts that were much less organized than chloroplasts of normal barley. The mutant contained all the normal acyl lipids, with small increases in the relative concentration of phosphatidylglycerol and diacylsulfoquinovosylglycerol compared with other acyl lipids. The fatty acid composition of the galactosylglycerides was unchanged, but most other lipids of the mutant barley contained lower amounts of .alpha.-linolenic acid compared with normal. There was no difference in the trans-hexadec-3-enoic acid content of phosphatidylglycerol, which was evidence against this lipid being involved in grana stacking.