Unusual fatty acid composition of cerebrosides from the filamentous soil fungus Mortierella alpina

The cerebrosides produced by the soil filamentous fungus Mortierella alpina strain KG-1/95 account for about 13% of the total polar lipids extractable from lyophilised cells with chloroform/methanol mixtures. By means of 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy, matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionisation mass spectrometry, and chemical degradation experiment, they have been shown to be 1- O-β- d-glucopyranosyl-2- N-(2′- d-hydroxyalkanoyl)-9-methylsphinga-4( E),8( E)-dienines, the fatty acid composition of which is unusual and consists of 2-hydroxytridecanoic (4%), 2-hydroxytetradecanoic (60%), 2-hydroxypentadecanoic (20%), and 2-hydroxyhexadecanoic (16%) acids.