A 31P nuclear magnetic resonance study of the hydrothermal vent tube worm Riftia pachyptila

31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to study the major phosphorylated compounds visible in perchloric extracts of three body regions of the vestimentiferan worm Riftia pachyptila: winged vestimentum, trunk and segmented posterior opisthosome. Two phosphagens (PGs) were present in vestimentum and opisthosome. The major resonance corresponded to those of phosphoarginine and phosphotaurocyamine, which cannot be discriminated on 31P NMR spectra. We have identified four distinct phosphodiesters (PDEs) in these tissues: glycerophosphorylethanolamine (GPE), serine ethanolamine phosphodiester (SEP), glycero-phosphorylcholine (GPC) and threonine ethanolamine phosphodiester (TEP). Three phosphonates or derivates (PAs) were observed in the three body regions. The minor one was identified as 2-aminoethyl phosphonate (2-AEP). The phosphorus profile of the trunk was appreciably different: one additional resonance in the PDE region and only one phosphagen peak were observed.