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

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Lipids

Abstract

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. High levels of cis-vaccenic and arachidonic acids were typical for lipids of all the studied species. At the same time, we observed a substantial difference in FA composition between members of these two genera. Using GC and GC–MS of FAME, pyrrolidide and DMOX derivatives, the structures of 10 new FA were confirmed: ∆4-i-16:1 (1.1–0.6%), ∆7-i-21:1 (0.4%), ∆7-ai-21:1 (0.3–0.8%), ∆4,11–18:2 (0.3–0.9%), ∆4,7–20:2 (8.8%), ∆7,12–20:2 (0.4–0.6%), ∆4,7–21:2 (0.6%), ∆7,12–22:2 (6.4–2.1%); ∆5,8,11,14–22:4 (1.2–2.0%), and ∆5,8,11,14–23:4 (1.7–2.3%). The origin of the new FA and the role of foraminifera FA in deep-sea communities are discussed.

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Abbreviations

ARA:

Arachidonic acid

DMOX:

4,4-Dimethyloxazoline derivatives

FA:

Fatty acid(s)

FAME:

Fatty acid methyl esters

GC:

Gas chromatography

GC–MS:

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

NMID:

Non-methylene interrupted dienoic

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the captain and the crew of the R/V Academic M.A. Lavrentyev. We thank all members of the expedition for their cooperation. This work was supported by a research grant of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (No. 15-I-6-056 to A.V. Adrianov). A systematic study of benthic foraminifera by T.S. Tarasova was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant No. 15-0403553). This is SokhoBio publication #2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Palchevskogo 17, Vladivostok, 690041, Russia

    Vladimir I. Kharlamenko, Vasily I. Svetashev & Tatyana S. Tarasova

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  1. Vladimir I. Kharlamenko
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  2. Vasily I. Svetashev
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  3. Tatyana S. Tarasova
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Correspondence to Vasily I. Svetashev.

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Kharlamenko, V.I., Svetashev, V.I. & Tarasova, T.S. New and Uncommon Fatty Acids in Lipids of Deep-Sea Foraminifera. Lipids 52, 345–352 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-017-4237-2

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