Prokaryotic triterpenoids. The hopanoids of the purple non-sulphur bacterium Rhodomicrobium vannielii: an aminotriol and its aminoacyl derivatives, N-tryptophanyl and N-ornithinyl aminotriol.

Triterpenoids belonging to the hopane family are widely distributed in prokaryotes. Three new hopanoids have now been isolated from the purple non-sulphur bacterium Rhodomicrobium vannielii and identified essentially by spectroscopic methods. The basic compound is the 35-aminobacteriohopane-32,33,34-triol, from which the other two hopanoids are derived by introduction of a tryptophanyl or an ornithinyl moiety linked to the amino group at C-35 via an amide linkage. This is the first report of hopanoids possessing an amino group in their side-chain and linked to aminoacyl residues.