Measles-virus-persistent infection in BGM cells. Modification of the incorporation of [3H]arachidonic acid and [14C]stearic acid into lipids.

In BGM cells chronically infected with measles virus, although the composition of the phospholipids is unaltered, the fatty acid composition is modified. Uninfected, lytic and persistently infected cells were labelled with [3H]arachidonic acid and [14C]stearic acid and their metabolic fate analysed. No difference in the total incorporation was observed in the different systems. However, the [14C]stearic acid and [3H]arachidonic acid were incorporated up to 2-fold and 13-fold respectively greater into the neutral lipid of persistently infected compared with that of uninfected cells. Both radioactive fatty acids were specifically accumulated in the triacylglycerol and non-esterified fatty acids fractions. Lytically infected cells were similar to uninfected cells. Although there was no significant difference in the incorporation of radioactivity into the total phospholipid in either system, there was a large decrease in [3H]arachidonic acid incorporated into phosphatidylethanolamine and to a lesser extent phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol in persistently infected cells. [14C]Stearic acid incorporation was also reduced in phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine fractions of persistently infected cells.     

The incorporation of [14C]palmitic acid into the lipids of mouse brain in vivo

Abstract— The half-life of free [¹⁴C]palmitic acid injected intracerebrally into C57BL/10J mice was less than 5 min. The rapid disappearance of radioactivity as palmitic acid was accompanied by increases in the radioactivity of the phosphatidic acids and the diacyl-glycerols. The peak specific radioactivity of the diacylglycerols occurred at about 6-8 min after injection. The triacylglycerols, phosphatidyl ethanolamines and phosphatidyl cholines exhibited increasing amounts of radioactivity during the first 40 min. At 160 min after injection, the distribution of radioactivity was similar to the pattern observed at 12 h. The biosynthetic pathway through the phosphatidic acids and the diacylglycerols to triacylglycerols, phosphatidyl ethanolamines and phosphatidyl cholines is apparently the major pathway in vivo for the esterification of free fatty acids in the brain.     

Studies on the biosynthesis of phenols in fungi. Conversion of [14C]orsellinic acid and [14C]orcinol into fumigatol by Aspergillus fumigatus I.M.I. 89353

1. Sodium [1-(14)C]acetate was incorporated into orsellinic acid and fumigatol by Aspergillus fumigatus. 2. [(14)C]Orsellinic acid was prepared biosynthetically. It was converted almost entirely into fumigatol and fumigatin within 2 days of supplementation of the medium. The apparent decrease in incorporation after a longer period of growth was due to decomposition of radioactive fumigatol and the production of relatively unlabelled material. The addition of orcinol to these cultures decreased the conversion of [(14)C]orsellinic acid into fumigatol. [(14)C]Orsellinic acid was incorporated into 3,4-dihydroxytoluquinol in both sets of cultures. 3. [(14)C]Orcinol was prepared from [(14)C]orsellinic acid after acid hydrolysis. It was also very effective as a precursor of fumigatol (60% incorporation). 4. The specific activity of fumigatin was lower than that of fumigatol at early stages of growth (4-5 days after inoculation) with all the labelled substrates that were tested. This indicated that fumigatin arose from fumigatol after oxidation in the medium. 5. The presence of orcinol in the medium greatly stimulated the incorporation of radioactivity (presumably derived from the (14)CO(2)H of orsellinic acid) into the isoprenoid compounds, ergosterol and ubiquinone, in the mycelium.     

Incorporation of [2-14C]mevalonic acid into phytoene by isolated chloroplasts

1. Chloroplasts prepared by the non-aqueous technique will, after fragmentation by ultrasonic treatment, incorporate [2-(14)C]mevalonic acid into phytoene, the first C(40) compound formed in the biosynthetic sequence to coloured carotenoids. 2. With suspensions containing 3.5mg. of chlorophyll, the optimum amounts of cofactor required were ATP (10mumoles), magnesium chloride (20mumoles) and glutathione (20mumoles); neither NAD(+) nor NADP(+) was required. 3. Very small amounts of squalene are also formed and synthesis is stimulated by addition of NADH or NADPH. Phytoene synthesis was not affected by the presence of these cofactors and no lycopersene (the C(40) homologue of squalene) was detected. 4. The phytol side chain of chlorophyll is also labelled under these conditions. 5. Preparations of developing chloroplasts are more active than preparations of mature chloroplasts.     

Bioconversion of alpha-[14C]zearalenol and beta-[14C]zearalenol into [14C]zearalenone by Fusarium roseum 'Gibbosum'.

Cultures of Fusarium roseium 'Gibbosum' on rice were treated with [14C]zearalenone, alpha[14C]zearalenol, or beta-[14C]zearalenol to determine whether a precursor-product relationship exists among these closely related fungal metabolites. Culture extracts were purified by silica gel column chromatography and fractionated by high-pressure liquid chromatography, and the level of radioactivity was determined. Within 7 days, the beta-[14C]zearalenol was converted to zearalenone, and no residual beta-[14C]zearalenol was detectable. Most of the alpha-[14C]zearalenol added was also converted into zearalenone with 14 days. In cultures treated with [14C]zearalenone, no radioactivity was noted in any other components.     

A difference in the incorporation of 14C into hippurate glycine from dl-[2-14C]glutamate and dl-[5-14C]glutamate in guinea pigs

The specific radioactivity of urinary hippurate glycine was determined after injecting guinea pigs with benzoate and either dl-[2-(14)C]glutamate or dl-[5-(14)C]glutamate. The isotope dilution factor for the formation of [(14)C]glycine was significantly greater (30%) with C-2 labelled glutamate. With either form of labelled glutamate the hippurate glycine was largely carboxyl-group labelled. The observations suggest a route for the incorporation of glutamate carbon into glycine that involves C-5 but not C-2. A hypothesis for glycine biosynthesis from l-glutamate is advanced, consistent with these findings, that includes conversion of l-glutamate to 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate, the scission of the latter to glyoxylate and pyruvate, and the formation of glycine by transamination.     

Effects of dietary nonspecific nitrogen on [14C]glutamate and [14C]proline incorporation into bone proteins in chicks

The incorporation of [14C]glutamic acid into EDTA-soluble and -insoluble calvaria protein in vitro and [14C]proline into EDTA-insoluble femur protein in vivo was determined in chicks fed inadequate and adequate levels of nonspecific nitrogen (glutamic acid). In each instance, the amount of amino acid incorporated into bone protein was reduced by the low level of nonspecific nitrogen. It was concluded that the high incidence of leg abnormalities observed in chicks fed purified diets containing adequate levels of indispensable amino acids but lacking in total nitrogen might be associated with an inability to form bone matrix protein.     

Evidence of accumulation of ceramides containing [14C] nervonic acid in the rat lung following injection of [14C] erucic acid

A mixture of albumin-bound [¹⁴C]erucate and [³H]oleate was injected into rats fed a stock pellet diet containing 4% by weight of lipid. Chylomicrons containing the same labelled fatty acids were also injected into rats fed diets containing 15% by weight of rapeseed oil (48% of erucic acid), canbra oil (< 5% of erucic acid) or ground nut oil (no erucic acid). Lung lipids were analyzed at various times after injection.In all cases, except in the rapeseed oil diet group, ¹⁴C radioactivity of lung ‘monoacylglycerol’ was ten times higher than ³H radioactivity. More than 85% of this ¹⁴C radioactivity was found in nervonic acid (24:1). It was shown by TLC and GLC analysis that 85–90% of the ¹⁴C radioactivity of this fraction was in ceramides (N-acyl-4-sphingenine).Ceramides containing [¹⁴C] nervonic acid disappeared from the lung with time and their incorporation with time into sphingomyelin was also observed. The absence of accumulation of ³H and ¹⁴C (18:1) in ceramides showed that oleic acid was not incorporated into sphingomyelin in the same way as nervonic acid.In the rapeseed oil diet group, there was no accumulation of ¹⁴C radioactivity in ceramides and conversion of erucic acid into nervonic acid was less, and into oleic acid more, than in other diet groups indicating a possible enzyme adaptation.