Separation and analysis of steryl and wax esters from Dicranum elongatum

Abstract Complete separation of the steryl and wax esters in the subarctic moss Dicranum elongatum was achieved on MgO thin-layer plates without any notable alteration of the acyl and alkyl moieties of the esters. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the hydrolyzed fraction showed that the sterols (campesterol, stigmasterol, sitosterol, cycloartenol, 24-methylene cycloartanol and an unidentified sterol) were primarily esterified with unsaturated fatty acids 18:2 ω 6, 18:3 ω 3 and 20:4 ω 6. In contrast, the wax alcohols (l-octadecanol, phytol and geranylgeraniol) were mainly esterified with saturated fatty acids with 16:0, 18:0 and 20:0 as major components. No great differences were found in the fatty acid pattern of the steryl esters between different portions of the shoot. Slight differences, however, were found in the proportions of ω 3 and ω 6 fatty acids. In the wax esters a clear decrease was found in the proportions of 18:0 and 20:0 acids with increased shoot age accompanied by a slight increase in the proportions of 14:0, 20:4 ω 6 and phytenic acid.     

Biosynthesis of wax esters in tissues of Sinapis alba L. seeds

The biosynthesis of wax esters has been investigated in maturing seeds of Sinapis alba. Exogenous long-chain alcohols are incorporated exclusively into alkyl moieties of wax esters. Oxidation of the long-chain alcohols is not detected. Exogenous fatty acids are incorporated into acyl moieties of wax esters to a low extent. A reduction of fatty acids to alcohols is not observed. Synthesis of wax esters is localized exclusively in the testa; both outer and inner integument are equally active in wax ester biosynthesis. The biosynthesis of wax esters is specific with regard to both chain length and degree of unsaturation of long-chain alcohols. Exogenous and endogenous sterols are not esterified.     

The Neutral Lipids of Paramecium tetraurelia: Changes with Culture Age and the Detection of Steryl Esters in Ciliary Membranes1

Neutral lipids, particularly triglycerides, accounted for the major decrease in the total lipid content in Paramecium cells that occurs with culture age. Sterols, triglycerides, and steryl esters were the major classes of neutral lipids in cells and isolated cilia. Free as well as high concentrations of esterified sterols were detected in purified ciliary membrane preparations. Stigmasterol and 7-dehydrostigmasterol were the major components of both free and esterified sterols of cells and cilia; however, when cholesterol was present in the growth medium, it was desaturated to 7-dehydrocholesterol and incorporated into cellular and ciliary lipids. Free fatty acids from cells and triglycerides from cells and cilia were low in polyunsaturated fatty acids and reflected the composition of fatty acids in the culture medium. An exception was the reduced concentration of stearate in triglycerides from whole cells. Greater than 50% of triglyceride fatty acids from cilia were saturated. The fatty acid compositions of cellular triglycerides and ciliary steryl esters did not change with culture age, but those of cellular steryl esters and ciliary triglycerides did change. In comparison with phospholipids, these neutral lipid fatty acid compositional changes were smaller. The sensitivity of these stigmasterol-containing cells to polyene antibiotics indicated that they were killed by nystatin > filipin > amphotericin B. The unexpected finding of high concentrations of steryl esters in ciliary membrane preparations is discussed.     

Skin surface lipids of the mole Scalopus aquaticus

Skin surface lipids of the mole Scalopus aquaticus were found to consist principally of squalene (70%), wax esters (15%), and sterol esters (5%), together with small amounts of triglycerides, free fatty acids, free fatty alcohols, and free sterols. Analysis of the fatty acids occurring free and as wax esters and sterol esters showed these to consist of approximately equal amounts of saturated and monounsaturated compounds. The saturated fatty acids consisted predominantly of odd-carbon anteiso and even-carbon straight-chain compounds, with minor amounts of even-carbon iso-branched chains. The unsaturated fatty acids had double bond positions that would have been produced by delta 9-desaturation of C14, C16 and C18 straight chain saturated precursors. Both the free and the esterified fatty alcohols had chain structures corresponding with those of the fatty acids but of somewhat greater average chain length. Discovery of a major proportion of squalene in the sebum of this animal extends the number of non-human species that have this characteristic to four, all of which inhabit a damp environment, suggesting that squalene conveys some biological advantage under these conditions.     

Changes in the Content of Phytyl and Geranylgeranyl Esters of Germinating Polytrichum commune Spores

Polytrichum commune spores contained esterified phytol and geranylgeraniol, 706 and 114 μg, respectively, per 100 mg dry weight of freshly collected spores. After storage for 9 months the level of esterified phytol of the spores was decreased by c. 600 μg, whereas the level of esterified geranylgeraniol was more or less unchanged. The changes in the level of esterified prenols during germination follow the same pattern in freshly collected and in 9 month-old spore material. An immediate steep decrease between 0 and 3 h was followed by an increase in the level of esterified phytol between 3 and 12 h and by a constant value for esterified geranylgeraniol during the same period. Between 12 and 48 h the level of both types of esterified prenols decreased. In the freshly collected spores the amount of esterified prenols increased after 48 h of germination, in the older spores after 72 h. Free phytol was found in trace amounts in dry and germinating spores and in the protonema.     

Metabolic interconversion of free sterols and steryl esters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The interconversion of free and esterified sterols was followed radioisotopically with [U-14C]acetate and [methyl-14C]methionine. In pulse-chase experiments, radioactivity first appeared mainly in unesterified sterols in exponential-phase cells. Within one generation time, the label equilibrated between the free and esterified sterol pools and subsequently accumulated in steryl esters in stationary-phase cells. When the sterol pools were prelabeled by growing cells aerobically to the stationary phase and the cells were diluted into unlabeled medium, the prelabeled steryl esters returned to the free sterol form under several conditions. (i) During aerobic growth, the prelabeled sterols decreased from 80% to 45% esters in the early exponential phase and then returned to 80% esters as the culture reached the stationary phase. (ii) Under anaerobic conditions, the percentage of prelabeled steryl esters declined continuously. When growth stopped, only 15% of the sterols remained esterified. (iii) In the presence of an inhibitor of sterol biosynthesis, which causes accumulation of a precursor to ergosterol, prelabeled sterols decreased to 40% steryl esters while the precursor was found preferentially in the esterified form. These results indicate that the bulk of the free sterol and steryl ester pools are freely interconvertible, with the steryl esters serving as a supply of free sterols. Furthermore, there is an active cellular control over what types of sterol are found in the free and esterified sterol pools.     

Sterol Changes during Germination of Nicotiana tabacum Seeds

The identity, composition, and concentration of the total, free, esterified, and glycosidic sterol fractions were determined during germination of tobacco seeds. The total, free, and esterified sterols increased, with stigmasterol and campesterol accounting for most of the increase. Steryl glycosides decreased during germination, and stigmasteryl and sitosteryl glycosides showed the largest decrease. During germination, sitosterol was the major sterol in all fractions but stigmasterol and campesterol showed the greatest changes. The fatty acid composition of the steryl esters and acylated steryl glycosides most closely resembled the di- and triglycerides.     

Neutral lipids of leaves and stems of Trifolium repens

The neutral lipids of white clover leaves and stems have been separated into wax esters, free fatty acids, free fatty alcohols, free sterols, triglycerides and hydrocarbons. The wax esters were mainly of C₁₈ di- and tri-unsaturated fatty acids and C₃₀ fatty alcohol. Linolenic acid was the predominant free fatty acid and triacontanol was the principal free fatty alcohol. Of the hydrocarbons, C₂₉ and C₃₁ were present in the largest amounts.     

Regioselective oxygenation of fatty acids, fatty alcohols and other aliphatic compounds by a basidiomycete heme-thiolate peroxidase

Reaction of fatty acids, fatty alcohols, alkanes, sterols, sterol esters and triglycerides with the so-called aromatic peroxygenase from Agrocybe aegerita was investigated using GC-MS. Regioselective hydroxylation of C(12)-C(20) saturated/unsaturated fatty acids was observed at the ω-1 and ω-2 positions (except myristoleic acid only forming the ω-2 derivative). Minor hydroxylation at ω and ω-3 to ω-5 positions was also observed. Further oxidized products were detected, including keto, dihydroxylated, keto-hydroxy and dicarboxylic fatty acids. Fatty alcohols also yielded hydroxy or keto derivatives of the corresponding fatty acid. Finally, alkanes gave, in addition to alcohols at positions 2 or 3, dihydroxylated derivatives at both sides of the molecule; and sterols showed side-chain hydroxylation. No derivatives were found for fatty acids esterified with sterols or forming triglycerides, but methyl esters were ω-1 or ω-2 hydroxylated. Reactions using H(2)(18)O(2) established that peroxide is the source of the oxygen introduced in aliphatic hydroxylations. These studies also indicated that oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl and carboxyl groups is produced by successive hydroxylations combined with one dehydration step. We conclude that the A. aegerita peroxygenase not only oxidizes aromatic compounds but also catalyzes the stepwise oxidation of aliphatic compounds by hydrogen peroxide, with different hydroxylated intermediates.     

Sterols in hardening winter wheat

The main sterols in winter wheat crowns and roots were sitosterol and campesterol, with significant amounts of stigmasterol and traces of cholesterol. The main groups of sterol-containing lipids were free sterols, steryl glucosides, steryl esters and esterified steryl glucosides. Sterol analysis within each group showed little difference between them. Steryl esters were relatively rich in cholesterol and poor in stigmasterol. Free sterols were rich in stigmasterol. Low temperature caused an increase in sterol content but had little effect on sterol composition and sterol to lipid P ratio. There was some increase in steryl esters and some decrease in free sterols. Cholesterol and stigmasterol decreased in the steryl ester and free sterol fractions, respectively. There was little evidence for involvement of sterols in winter wheat frost hardening.     

Lipids of chicken epidermis

The lipids from chicken epidermis were analyzed by a combination of quantitative thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography and by chemical and spectroscopic methods. The lipid groups present included wax diesters (34%), triglycerides (32%), sterols (11%), phospholipids (11%), nonphosphorus-containing sphingolipids (3%), beta-D-glucosylsterols (3%), 6-O-acyl-beta-D-glucosylsterols (2%), steryl esters (1%), cholesteryl sulfate (1%), and free fatty acids (1%). The major phospholipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingomyelin, and the sphingolipids included ceramides, glucosylceramides, O-acylceramides, and O-acylglucosylceramides. Glucosylsterols and acylglucosylsterols have not been found in mammalian skin, and may be relevant to the evolutionary history of the epidermal water barrier. The wax diesters contained mainly 16-, 18-, and 20-carbon saturated fatty acids esterified to 20- through 24-carbon threo and erythro 2,3-diols, while the chicken epidermal triglycerides contained some very long-chain (26-40 carbon) saturated fatty acids. These wax diesters and unusual triglycerides may be of significance in human health.     

Improvement of a process for purification of tocopherols and sterols from soybean oil deodorizer distillate

Soybean oil deodorizer distillate (SODD) is a useful material for purification of tocopherols and phytosterols (referred to as sterols). The SODD was first distilled, and the two substances were enriched. The preparation, which mainly contained free fatty acids (FFAs), sterols, and tocopherols, was named SODD tocopherols/sterols concentrate (SODDTSC). If sterols are converted to steryl esters and FFAs are converted to fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), relatively easy purification of tocopherols and steryl esters can be achieved because the boiling points of FAMEs, tocopherols, and steryl esters are different significantly. Hence, the development of a new two-step in situ reaction system was tried out for esterification of sterols with FFAs (first step) and esterification of FFAs with methanol (MeOH) (second step). A mixture of SODDTSC/water (95:5, w/w) and 250 units (U)/g-mixture of Candida rugosa lipase was prepared beforehand for the first-step reaction, and was agitated at 40 °C for 24 h with dehydration at 20 mmHg. Sterols were efficiently esterified, and the degree of esterification reached 95%. To the reaction mixture were added 7 M amounts of MeOH against unreacted FFAs, 20 wt.% water, and 25 U/g-mixture of Alcaligenes sp. lipase. The second-step reaction was then conducted at 30 °C for 20 h. Consequently, 95% FFAs were converted to FAME, and steryl esters synthesized by the first-step reaction were not reconverted to free sterols. Finally, SODDTSC (1.5 kg) was subjected to this two-step in situ reaction, and tocopherols and steryl esters were purified from the reaction mixture by short-path distillation. Tocopherols were purified to 72% (yield, 88%) and steryl esters were purified to 97% (yield, 97%).     

Lipid and sterol composition of the pollen of the west african oilpalm, Elaeis guineensis

The lipid classes, fatty acid methyl esters and the sterols of oilpalm pollen were analysed. The neutral lipid fraction consisted of triglycerides, esterified and free sterols and trace amounts of hydrocarbons. Monogalactosyl and digalactosyl diglycerides, phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl inositol and phosphatidyl ethanolamine represented the polar lipids. The major fatty acids were linoleic, palmitic and linolenic acids together with small to trace amounts of oleic, stearic, arachidic, myristic, lauric, palmitoleic and margaric acids. Unsaturated fatty acids predominated over saturated ones in the ratio of 3:2. The 4-desmethyl sterols were the major phytosterols in the free form but they constituted a lower proportion of the sterols in the esterified state. 28-Isofucosterol was isolated and characterized as the principal sterol.     

Sterols and fatty acids from three species of mangrove

The hydrolysis of steryl esters on thin-layer chromatographic plates by porcine pancreatic lipase is described. The sterols and fatty acids produced were separated on the same plate, recovered, and analysed by gas-liquid chromatography for their compositions. Synthetic cholesteryl esters containing various saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and synthetic steryl oleates with various sterols were lipolysed along with steryl esters of Acanthus ilicifolius, Bruguiera gymnorhiza and Rhizophora mucronata mangrove leaves. The major sterol was sitosterol which was accompanied by cholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and 28-isofucosterol. In addition, stigmast-7-en-3β-ol was present in R. mucronata leaves. The component fatty acids found in all three species were 16:0, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2 and 18:3. The relative proportions of the sterols and fatty acids were significantly different from the chemotaxonomic standpoint. The results obtained by carrying out plate lipolysis for 45 min at 40° compared well with those produced by conventional chemical hydrolysis.     

A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of the esterifying alcohols of pumpkin seed protochlorophylls

The esterifying alcohols of protochlorophyll a and 4-vinyl-(4-desethyl)-protochlorophyll a (purified as the respective pheophytins) from pumpkin seeds were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results of the analysis suggested that pumpkin seed protochlorophyll a is esterified with all possible C₂₀ isoprenoid alcohols between and including geranylgeraniol and phytol, phytol comprising 90% or more of the mixture of esterifying alcohols, and that the 4-vinyl-(4-desethyl)-protochlorophyll a is esterified with farnesol and all possible C₂₀ isoprenoid alcohols between and including geranylgeranoid and phytanol, phytol comprising 50% or more of the mixture of esterifying alcohols. The 4-vinyl-(4-desethyl)-protochlorophyll a from a sample of older mature pumpkin seeds was found to be richer in esterifying alcohols corresponding to isoprenoid precursors of phytol then was the 4-vinyl-(4-desethyl)-protochlorophyll a from a sample of younger mature seeds. Other isoprenoid alcohols may have been present in very minor quantities in the mixtures of esterifying alcohols from the pumpkin seed protochlorophylls but were not looked for in this study. These results are discussed in terms of a biosynthetic accumulation of 4-vinyl-(4-desethyl)-protochlorophyll a in pumpkin inner seed-coat tissue.     

Dimorphism-associated variations in the lipid composition of Candida albicans

Yeast and mycelial forms of Candida albicans ATCC 10231, growing together in 12 h and in 96 h cultures, were separated and their lipids were extracted and characterized. The total lipid content of the yeast forms was always lower than that of the mycelial forms. In 12 h cultures the lipids from the two morphological forms consisted mainly of polar compounds, viz, phospholipids and glycolipids. In 96 h cultures both the yeast and mycelial forms accumulated substantial amounts of apolar compounds, mainly steryl esters and triacylglycerols. The mycelial forms were more active than the yeast forms in this respect. Major differences in the lipid composition between the two morphological forms involved the contents of sterols and complex lipids that contain sterols. As a rule, the yeast lipids contained much larger proportions of free sterols than the mycelial lipids. However, the mycelial lipids contained several times more sterols than the yeast forms but bound as steryl glycosides, esterified steryl glycosides and steryl esters. Steryl glycosides and esterified steryl glycosides occurred in yeast lipids only in traces, if at all. The major steryl glycoside in the mycelial forms was unequivocally identified as cholesteryl mannoside. At both phases of growth the apolar and polar lipid fractions from the mycelial forms contained higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (18:2 and 18:3) but lower levels of oleic acid (18:1) than the corresponding fractions from the yeast forms. The lipid content and composition of 12 h and 96 h yeast and mycelial forms of C. albicans KCCC 14172, a clinical isolate, were almost identical with those of C. albicans ATCC 10231.     

Monovinyl and divinyl protochlorophyll in different stages of esterification isolated from mutant C-2A'of the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus obliquus

The mutant C-2A'of the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus obliquus accumulates the chlorophyll-precursors protocbloropbyllide and the already eslerified protochlorophyll when grown heterotrophically in the dark. Two derivatives of protochlorophyll. monovinyl protochlorophyll (MV-PChl) and divinyl protochlorophyll (DV-PChl), were isolated from dark-grown cells of mutani C-2A'and characterized by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Their molecular masses were determined by plasma desorption mass spectrometry. Both MV- and DV-PChl were mainly esterified with geranylgeraniol. However, some esterification with the more saturated alcohols dihydrogeranylgeraniol. tetrahydrogeranylgeraniol and phytol could also be detected.     

Lipids and lipolytic enzymes in the trunkwood ofRobinia pseudoacacia L. during heartwood formation

The radial distribution of membrane and storage lipids was determined in the trunkwood ofRobinia pseudoacacia L. The trees were felled in November at the time of heartwood formation and fluctuations in the amount and composition of phospholipids, free sterols, steryl esters, diand triacylglycerols, and free fatty acids were investigated across the sapwood-heartwood boundary. The individual compounds were identified and quantified by thin layer chromatography, enzymatic and colorimetric assays, and by capillary gas chromatography. Phospholipids show a significant decrease towards the boundary area, and in the heartwood only trace amounts can be detected. The same pattern is observed for free sterols in the sapwood; in the heartwood, however, they reach maximum values with increasing depth of the trunk. Steryl esters exhibit a complementary behaviour by accumulating at the periphery of the heartwood. No concentration changes are found in the total amounts of diacylglycerols and free fatty acids. In contrast, the triacylglycerol concentration declines steadily across the trunk. With regard to qualitative composition, free fatty acids and the fatty acid moieties of the esterified constituents vary in their chain length from 14 to 24 carbon atoms and have up to three double bonds. A radial gradient in the ratio saturated/unsaturated fatty acids can be observed: except for the phospholipid fraction the relative amounts of unsaturated fatty acids increase in centripetal direction. Seven phospholipids were identified: phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, diphosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidic acid, which constitutes the major proportion. In the sterol group, sitosterol is the most abundant component. The composition of the esterified sterols remains constant across the trunk cross-section, whereas the relative frequencies of individual free sterols change markedly.     

Composition of alkyl esters in the cuticular wax on inflorescence stems of Arabidopsis thaliana cer mutants

Wax biosynthetic pathways proceed via the elongation of 16:0 acyl-CoA to very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA), and by further modifications that include reduction to primary alcohols and formation of alkyl esters. We have analyzed the alkyl esters in the stem wax of ten cer mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana together with the corresponding wild types. Alkyl esters with chain lengths between C(38) and C(52) were identified, and the levels of esters ranged from 0.15 microg cm(-2) in Wassilewskija (WS) to 1.20 microg cm(-2) in cer2. Esters with even numbers of carbons prevailed, with C(42), C(44) and C(46) favoured in the wild types, a predominance of C(42) in cer2 and cer6 mutants, and a relative shift towards C(46) in cer3 and cer23 mutants. The esters of all mutants and wild types were dominated by 16:0 acyl moieties, whereas the chain lengths of esterified alcohols were between C(20) and C(32). The alkyl chain-length distributions of the wild-type esters had a maximum for C(28) alcohol, similar to the free alcohols accompanying them in the wax mixtures. The esterified alcohols of cer2, cer6 and cer9 had largely increased levels of C(26) alcohol, closely matching the patterns of the corresponding free alcohols and, therefore, differing drastically from the corresponding wild type. In contrast, cer1, cer3, cer10, cer13 and cer22 showed ester alcohol patterns with increased levels of C(30), only partially following the shift in chain lengths of the free alcohols in stem wax. These results provide information on the composition of substrate pools and/or the specificity of the ester synthase involved in wax ester formation. We conclude that alcohol levels at the site of biosynthesis are mainly limiting the ester formation in the Arabidopsis wild-type epidermis.     

Sterols in Germinating Seeds and Developing seedlings of Longleaf Pine, Pinus palustris

Sterols in germinating embryos and young seedlings of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) were identified and quantities determined for different periods after germination. Sterol analyses were performed by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) and verified by combination of GLC-mass spectrometry. Campesterol and β-sitosterol were two major sterols which accounted for most of the sterol composition while stigmasterol was present in very small amounts. No cholesterol was revealed by GLC-mass spectrometry although there was a minor peak appearing on the sterol gas-liquid chromatograms with a retention time close to that of authentic cholesterol. By fractionation, three different forms of sterols were obtained: steryl esters, steryl glycosides, and free sterols. The sterols were mainly found in the esterified fraction, while steryl glycosides and free sterols only made up a small portion of the total sterol value. The total sterol content in general increased during seedling development, and this increase reflected mainly a change in steryl esters. The low levels of both free and glycosidic sterols remained nearly unchanged throughout the experimental germination period.