Dysibetaine: a new α,α-disubstituted α-amino acid derivative from the marine sponge Dysidea herbacea

Abstract

A new α,α-disubstituted α-amino acid derivative, dysibetaine ( 1), was isolated from an aqueous extract of the marine sponge Dysidea herbacea collected in Yap, Micronesia. The structure of 1, (2 R ∗,4 R ∗)-2-(trimethylammonium)methyl-4-hydroxy-5-oxoprolinate, was determined by spectral methods and X-ray crystallography.