Phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA) are widely used in microbial ecology as chemotaxonomic markers of bacteria and other organisms. Phospholipids are the primary lipids composing cellular membranes. They can be saponified to many types of fatty acids. Once the phospholipids of an unknown sample are saponified, the composition of the resulting PLFA can be compared to the PLFA of known organisms to determine the identity of the sample organism. PLFA analysis may be combined with other techniques, such as stable isotope probing to determine which microbes are metabolically active in a sample.
Read more about Phospholipid-derived Fatty Acids: Phospholipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) Analysis, The PLFA Components of Soil Microbiota, Applications of PLFA Analysis, References
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