Rhamnolipids are a class of glycolipid produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, amongst other organisms, frequently cited as bacterial surfactants.[1][2][3] They have a glycosyl head group, in this case a rhamnose moiety, and a 3-(hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoic acid (HAA) fatty acid tail, such as 3-hydroxydecanoic acid.[4][5]
Specifically there are two main classes of rhamnolipids: mono-rhamnolipids and di-rhamnolipids, which consist of one or two rhamnose groups respectively.[6] Rhamnolipids are also heterogeneous in the length and degree of branching of the HAA moiety,[1] which varies with the growth media used and the environmental conditions.[7]
^Cabrera-Valladares N, Richardson AP, Olvera C, Treviño LG, Déziel E, Lépine F, Soberón-Chávez G (November 2006). "Monorhamnolipids and 3-(3-hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoic acids (HAAs) production using Escherichia coli as a heterologous host". Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 73 (1): 187–94. doi:10.1007/s00253-006-0468-5. PMID16847602.