What are hopanoids?Define their location.?

Question

this is the chapter of Morphology of Bacteria from the subject of Microbiology.

Answer 1

Hopanoids are organic compounds similar to the structure of steroids. They are pentacyclic compounds, that means, they have 5 benzene like rings in their structure.

They are usually present in the cell membrane of prokaryotes (bacteria like organisms). They play primary role in plasma membrane fluidity and adjusting the membrane permeability in  prokaryotes.

Answer 2

They are a class of organic compounds found in some species of bacteria. They are used in a wide range of countexts, in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic bacteria.

Structurally, the compounds are similar to sterols such as cholesterol. In prokaryotic bacteria it carries out a similar function to eukaryotic cholesterol - they are found in the cell membrane and are involved in regulating membrane fluidity. They are very important in many bacteria as they allow the moderation of membrane permeability in extreme conditions. Bacteria that have a large surface area exposed to air rather than water, for example the spore hyphae of Streptomyces, use hopanoids to prevent excessive water loss to the air.