Bryophytes and lichens have a widespread occurrence and can survive under extreme environmental conditions, such as drought, low temperatures, continuous light or prolonged darkness. It has been shown that lipid metabolism is sensitive to both metal response and metal resistance mechanisms in many organisms, including yeast, Silene cucubalus and in the marine brown algae Fucus spp. and Ascophyllum nodosum. In the present study, the effects of lead and copper on lipid metabolism have been studied in two moss species, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus and Dicranum scoparium and also in the lichen Peltigera horizontalis with a cyanobacterial Nostoc photobiont.

Keywords:
acetylenic fatty acids, fatty acid synthesis, heavy metals, mosses, DGTS, diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine, TAG, triacylglycerol, MGDG, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, DGDG, digalactosyldiacylglycerol, DAG, diacylglycerol
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© 2000 Biochemical Society
2000
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