McKenna E J, Kallio R E
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Jul;68(7):1552-4. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.7.1552.
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 alpha-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.
“惰性”碳氢化合物降植烷（2,6,10,14-四甲基十五烷）可作为棒状土壤分离菌生长的唯一碳源和能源。代谢产物4,8,12-三甲基十三烷酸和α-甲基戊二酸的鉴定表明，该细菌菌株中存在两条脂肪酸代谢途径。降植烷作为一种生物标志物被广泛使用，似乎是基于其与叶绿醇的结构相似性及其明显的稳定性，而这可能仅仅反映了微生物无法对其进行厌氧破坏。
