New Ceramides and Cerebrosides from the Deep-Sea Far Eastern Starfish .

Three new ceramides (1−3) and three new cerebrosides (4, 8, and 9), along with three previously known cerebrosides (ophidiocerebrosides C (5), D (6), and CE-3-2 (7)), were isolated from a deep-sea starfish species, the orange cookie starfish Ceramaster patagonicus. The structures of 1−4, 8, and 9 were determined by the NMR and ESIMS techniques and also through chemical transformations. Ceramides 1−3 contain iso-C21 or C23 Δ9-phytosphingosine as a long-chain base and have C16 or C17 (2R)-2-hydroxy-fatty acids of the normal type.

1--Alkylglycerol Ethers from the Marine Sponge and Their Cytotoxic Activity.

The cytotoxicity-bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethanol extract from the marine sponge , whose 1--alkyl--glycerol ethers (AGEs) have not been investigated so far, led to the isolation of a complex lipid fraction containing, along with previously known compounds, six new lipids of the AGE type. The composition of the AGE fraction as well as the structures of 6 new and 22 previously known compounds were established using H and C NMR, GC/MS, and chemical conversion methods. The new AGEs were identified as: 1--(Z-docos-15-enyl)--glycerol (), 1--(Z-docos-17-enyl)--glycerol (), 1--(Z-tricos-15-enyl)--glycerol (), 1--(Z-tricos-16-enyl)--glycerol (), 1--(Z-tricos-17-enyl)--glycerol (), and 1--(Z-tetracos-15-enyl)--glycerol ().

Investigation of Deep-Sea Ecosystems Using Marker Fatty Acids: Sources of Essential Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Abyssal Megafauna.

Abyssal seafloor ecosystems cover more than 50% of the Earth's surface. Being formed by mainly heterotrophic organisms, they depend on the flux of particulate organic matter (POM) photosynthetically produced in the surface layer of the ocean. As dead phytoplankton sinks from the euphotic to the abyssal zone, the trophic value of POM and the concentration of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decrease.

Edible Far Eastern Ferns as a Dietary Source of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids.

Young fronds of ferns are consumed as a vegetable in many countries. The aim of this study was to analyze three fern species that are available for sale in the Russian Far East as dietary sources in terms of fatty acids that are important for human physiology: arachidonic acid (20:4n-6, ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) and other valuable long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The content of ARA and EPA was 5.

New Conjugates of Polyhydroxysteroids with Long-Chain Fatty Acids from the Deep-Water Far Eastern Starfish and Their Anticancer Activity.

Four new conjugates, esters of polyhydroxysteroids with long-chain fatty acids (-), were isolated from the deep-water Far Eastern starfish Ceramaster patagonicus The structures of - were established by NMR and ESIMS techniques as well as chemical transformations. Unusual compounds - contain the same 5α-cholestane-3β,6β,15α,16β,26-pentahydroxysteroidal moiety and differ from each other in the fatty acid units: 5'Z,11'Z-octadecadienoic (), 11'Z-octadecenoic (), 5'Z,11'Z-eicosadienoic (), and 7'Z-eicosenoic () acids. Previously, only one such steroid conjugate with a fatty acid was known from starfish.

Fatty Acids of Abyssal Echinodermata, the Sea Star Eremicaster vicinus and the Sea Urchin Kamptosoma abyssale: A New Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Detected, 22:6(n-2).

Fatty acids (FA) of two species of abyssal Echinodermata-the sea star (Asteroidea) Eremicaster vicinus and the sea urchin (Echinoidea) Kamptosoma abyssale-from the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, collected at depths of 5210 and 6183 m, were analyzed. Lipids of these deposit-feeding animals showed similar FA compositions: 20.05-16.

Variability of fatty acid profiles in ferns: Relation to fern taxonomy and seasonal development.

Ferns are known to contain long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids which may provide health benefits. The objective of this study was to investigate ferns of Pacific temperate regions (Far East of Russia and New Zealand) as sources of valuable fatty acids: arachidonic (20:4n-6) and eicosapentaenoic (20:5n-3). Fatty acids were analyzed in fronds of 23 fern species from 12 families.

New and Uncommon Fatty Acids in Lipids of Deep-Sea Foraminifera.

Fatty acids (FA) of agglutinating foraminifera of two genera, Bathysiphon and Rhabdammina, collected from a depth of 3307-3377 m in the Kuril Basin, Sea of Okhotsk, and adjacent deep-sea waters of the Pacific Ocean, were analyzed. In lipids of two Bathysiphon species, in addition to common FA typical for marine organisms, the uncommon ∆4 and ∆7 monoenoic acids and ∆4,7-dienoic acid were found in noticeable amounts. FA of two Rhabdammina species included also such uncommon acids as ∆5,8,11,14-21:4, ∆5,8,11,14-22:4, and ∆5,8,11,14-23:4, which are homologues to arachidonic acid.

Fatty acid, lipid class, and phospholipid molecular species composition of the soft coral Xenia sp. (Nha Trang Bay, the South China Sea, Vietnam).

The soft corals of the genus Xenia are common for Indo-Pacific reef ecosystems. Lipid class, fatty acid (FA), phospho- and phosphonolipid molecular species compositions were identified for the first time in the soft coral Xenia sp. from Vietnam.

Isomerization of octadecapentaenoic acid (18:5n-3) in algal lipid samples under derivatization for GC and GC-MS analysis.

During gas chromatography (GC) analysis of fatty acid (FA) composition of the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium kowalevskii, we found unex-pectedly low and irreproducible content of all-cis-3,6,9,12,15-octadecapentaenoic acid (18:5n-3), which is an important chemotaxonomic marker of several classes of microalgae. We compared chromatographic behavior of 18:5n-3 methyl ester and other GC derivatives obtained using different conventional methods of derivatization. The use of methods based on saponification or base-catalyzed transesterification resulted in a mixture of double-bond positional isomers of 18:5.

Poseidonocella pacifica gen. nov., sp. nov. and Poseidonocella sedimentorum sp. nov., novel alphaproteobacteria from the shallow sandy sediments of the Sea of Japan.

The taxonomic study of two Gram-negative, aerobic, non-pigmented bacteria KMM 9010(T) and KMM 9023(T) isolated from a sandy sediment sample collected from the Sea of Japan seashore was performed. On the basis of the nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences, strains KMM 9010(T) and KMM 9023(T) clustered with the Roseobacter lineage (class Alphaproteobacteria) forming a distinct phylogenetic line adjacent to the genus Donghicola. Novel strains shared the highest sequence similarity of 96.

Mild method for preparation of 4,4-dimethyloxazoline derivatives of polyunsaturated fatty acids for GC-MS.

A mild and convenient method has been developed for preparing 4,4-dimethyloxazoline (DMOX) derivatives of fatty acids for GC-MS analysis. First, fatty acid methyl esters are converted to corresponding amides by incubation overnight at room temperature with 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol and a catalytic amount of sodium methoxide. The resulting 2-(methylpropanol) amides were isolated by partition between hexane-diethyl ether and water, and then converted to 4,4-dimethyloxazoline derivatives by treatment with trifluoroacetic anhydride under mild conditions (50 °C for 45 min).

Vadicella arenosi gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of the class Alphaproteobacteria isolated from sandy sediments from the Sea of Japan seashore.

A taxonomic study of three aerobic, Gram-negative, non-pigmented, non-motile rod-shaped bacterial strains, designated KMM 9008, KMM 9017, and KMM 9024(T), which were isolated from a sandy sediment sample collected from the Sea of Japan seashore, was undertaken. The DNA-DNA hybridization values of 88-96% obtained between novel strains confirm their assignment to the same species. An analysis of the nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the novel isolates were closely related to each other (99.

Primorskyibacter sedentarius gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of the class Alphaproteobacteria from shallow marine sediments.

Two gram-negative, aerobic, non-pigmented, non-motile, rod-shaped bacteria, strains KMM 9015 and KMM 9018(T), were isolated from a sample of shallow sediment collected from the Sea of Japan. An analysis of the nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolates were very close to each other phylogenetically (99.9 % sequence similarity) and their close relatives were Marinovum algicola FF3(T) (95.

Pacificibacter maritimus gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from shallow marine sediment.

An aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-pigmented, non-motile bacterium, strain KMM 9031(T), was isolated from a sandy sediment sample collected from the shore of the Sea of Japan and subjected to phenotypic and phylogenetic analysis. Based on comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain KMM 9031(T) constituted a separate phylogenetic line within the Roseobacter clade of the class Alphaproteobacteria, sharing highest sequence similarities with members of the genera Roseovarius (92.7-95.