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. 1971 Jul;68(7):1552–1554. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.7.1552

Microbial Metabolism of the Isoprenoid Alkane Pristane

E J McKenna 1,*, R E Kallio 1,*
PMCID: PMC389238  PMID: 4327007

Abstract

The “inert” hydrocarbon pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane) can be utilized as the sole source of carbon and energy for growth of a coryneform soil isolate. Identification of the metabolites 4,8,12-trimethyltridecanoic acid and α-methylglutaric acid indicates that two pathways of fatty acid metabolism operate in this bacterial strain.

The widespread use of pristane as a biological marker appears to be predicated on its structural similarity to phytol and its apparent stability, which may be only a reflection of the inability of microorganisms to carry out its anaerobic destruction.

Keywords: α-methylglutarate; 4,8,12-trimethyltridecanoate; fatty acid metabolism

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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