Sponge Fatty Acids-4. Co-occurrence of Two Isoprenoid Fatty Acids (4,8,12-Trimethyltridecanoic and 5,9,13-Trimethyltetradecanoic) in Phospholipids of Marine Sponges from the GenusCinachrella

Two isoprenoid fatty acids, 4,8,12-trimethyltridecanoic and 5,9,13-trimethyltetradecanoic, were identified in all specimens studied of the Senegalese sponges Cinachyrella alloclada and C. kükenthali and the New-Caledonian sponge Cinachyrella aff. schulzei. The fatty acids were identified as methyl esters or N-acyl pyrrolidides by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses. 4,8,12-Trimethyltridecanoic acid was found to be the major component in all Senegalese sponge fatty acid mixtures(up to 36%). The co-occurrence of these isoprenoid acids may have implications for chemotaxonomy and biosynthetic pathways.