Biosythesis of branched chain fatty acids. I. Isolation and identification of fatty acids from Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 7059).

S&o (1) has clearly identified the branched chain fatty acids, isopentadecanoic and isoheptadecanoic, in the lipids of Bacillus subtilis (natto). Another branched chain fatty acid, 12-methyltetradecanoic (sarcinic acid), has also been isolated from the lipids of a species of Surcina by Akashi and Saito (2). It is important to note that, these branched chain fatty acids occur in the bacterial lipids as the major constituent of the fatty acids. This paper describes the isolation and characterization of the bacterial fatty acids found in a different strain of B. subtilis, B. subtilis (ATCC 7059), during the course of work on the microbial synthesis of branched chain fatty acids being carried out in this laboratory (3). Both iso and anteiso* fatty acids have been found in this organism. In addition to the fatty acids mentioned above, an anteiso fatty acid isomeric with sarcinic acid, 14methylhexadecanoic, and the even numbered iso fatty acids, isomyristic and isopalmitic, have also been isolated.