Chemical assessment of phospholipid and phosphoenergetic metabolites in regenerating rat liver measured by in vivo and in vitro 31P-NMR.

For the assessment of 31P-NMR spectroscopic data, phospholipid precursors (phosphorylethanolamine (PE) and phosphocholine) and catabolites (glycerophosphorylethanolamine (GPE) and glycerophosphorylcholine (GPC)), as well as adenosine phosphates were chemically determined in regenerating rat liver. The data were compared with those obtained by in vivo and in vitro 31P-NMR spectroscopies. Chemical assay revealed a significant increase of PE and a decrease of GPE, GPC and ATP in hepatectomy group compared to sham operation group. The values obtained by in vitro NMR were in good agreements with those of chemical assay, but significant differences between the two groups were observed only in PE and inorganic phosphate (Pi). Noticeable increase in PME was not detected by in vivo 31P-NMR spectroscopy, although the increase of PE was about 2.5-times that of the control and its constitution ratio to the whole phosphomonoester (PME) was less than 15%. On the other hand, in vivo NMR showed a large phosphodiester (PDE) peak occupying approx. 40% of the total phosphorus signal, while the contribution of its constituents, GPE and GPC was about 5% found by both chemical assay and in vitro NMR. The PDE peak in in vivo NMR seemed to reflect the membrane phospholipid itself rather than its catabolites. A slight decrease of phosphoenergetic level in regenerating rat-liver was commonly suggested by all three analytical methods.     

Lipid metabolism in T47D human breast cancer cells: 31P and 13C-NMR studies of choline and ethanolamine uptake.

31P and 13C-NMR were used to determine the kinetics of choline and ethanolamine incorporation in T47D clone 11 human breast cancer cells grown as small (150 microns) spheroids. Spheroids were perfused inside the spectrometer with 1,2-13C-labeled choline or 1,2-13C-labeled ethanolamine (0.028 mM) and the buildup of labeled phosphoryl-choline (PC) or phosphorylethanolamine (PE) was monitored. Alternatively the PC and GPC pools were prelabeled with 13C and the reduction of label was monitored. 31P spectra were recorded from which the overall energetic status as well as total pool sizes could be determined. The ATP content was 8 +/- 1 fmol/cell, and the total PC and PE pool sizes were 16 and 14 fmol/cell, respectively. PC either increased by 50% over 24 h or remained constant, while PE remained constant in medium without added ethanolamine but increased 2-fold within 30 h in medium containing ethanolamine, indicating a dependence on precursor concentration in the medium. The 31P and 13C data yielded similar kinetic results: the rate of the enzymes phosphocholine kinase and phosphoethanolamine kinase were both on the order of 1.0 fmol/cell per h, and the rate constants for CTP:phosphocholine cytidyltransferase and CTP:phosphoethanolamine kinase were 0.06 h-1 for both enzymes. The kinetics of choline incorporation did not alter in the presence of 0.028 mM ethanolamine indicating that they have non-competing pathways.     

31P NMR of tissue phospholipids: a comparison of three tissue pre-treatment procedures

Extracted tissue phospholipid 31P NMR profiles, obtained from individual porcine lenses subjected to two preservation procedures (acetone desiccation and freeze-drying) and a perchloric acid-extraction procedure, were compared to those from freshly excised lens specimens. Each profile yielded quantitative data on 12 lens phospholipids: PC, LPC, PC plas, PE, LPE, PE plas, PS, SPH, PI, LPI, PG, and CL. A specimen group size of at least 9 lenses was required for secure statistical inter-group comparisons by the Scheffé procedure, due to specimen 31P NMR profile variability, interpreted as arising from specimen biological variability. The phospholipid profiles of lenses preserved by acetone desiccation were essentially identical to those from the freshly excised control lenses. Freeze-dried lens profiles differed significantly in four components, while profiles from perchloric acid-extracted lenses differed in six. It is concluded that specimen preservation by acetone disiccation is a useful method for preserving tissue phospholipids for subsequent 31P NMR profile analysis, while freeze-drying is not. Lipid extraction following a tissue acid extraction is also of little or no value in the determination of tissue phospholipid profiles.     

Metabolism of peripheral lymphocytes, interleukin-2-activated lymphocytes and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from 31P NMR studies

31P NMR spectra of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were found to be significantly different from those of normal peripheral lymphocytes. The greatest difference was in the phosphodiester (PDE) region, mainly in the glycerophosphocholine (GPC) signal. Short-term activation of peripheral lymphocytes with interleukin-2 induced a small increase in ATP levels. In all lymphocytes the phosphomonoester (PME) region is dominated by phosphoethanolamine (PE), while there is an unusual absence of phosphocholine (PC). Perfusion of these cells with high concentrations of choline caused only a minimal increase in PC, indicating that choline kinase is not the rate limiting step of lecithin synthesis in lymphocytes.     

31P MRS analysis of the phospholipid composition of normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)

The aim of this investigation was to characterize the phospholipid composition of normal human blood mononuclear cells using 31P NMR spectroscopy. Mononuclear cells of peripheral blood were obtained from 10 volunteers. Phospholipid extracts were prepared from 60x10(6) cells according to modified Folch's method. An AMX 300 Bruker spectrometer 7.05 T was used. The 31P spectrum of phospholipid extracts from normal human PBMC consisted of 9 peaks, with one each for phosphatidylcholine (PC), plasmalogen of phosphatidylcholine (CPLAS), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), sphingomyelin (SM), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylserine (PS) and cardiolipin (CL), and another one due to the external reference substance, methylenediphosphonic acid (MDPA). The concentrations of these phospholipids (PL), based on the integral intensities, were as follows: 0.398 +/- 0.078 mmole/l for PC; 0.033 +/- 0.019 mmole/l for CPLAS; 0.155 +/- 0.043 mmole/l for SM; 0.266 +/- 0.104 mmole/l for PI+PE; 0.101 +/- 0.040 mmole/l for PS, and 0.026 +/- 0.033 mmole/l for CL. The results of this study confirmed that 31P MRS is a convenient tool for measuring the phospholipid concentrations of biological samples.     

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Cho2 Mutants Are Deficient in Phospholipid Methylation and Cross-Pathway Regulation of Inositol Synthesis

Five allelic Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants deficient in the methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) have been isolated, using two different screening techniques. Biochemical analysis suggested that these mutants define a locus, designated CHO2, that may encode a methyltransferase. Membranes of cho2 mutant cells grown in defined medium contain approximately 10% phosphatidylcholine (PC) and 40-50% PE as compared to wild-type levels of 40-45% PC and 15-20% PE. In spite of this greatly altered phospholipid composition, cho2 mutant cells are viable in defined medium and are not auxotrophic for choline or other phospholipid precursors such as monomethylethanolamine (MME). However, analysis of yeast strains carrying more than one mutation affecting phospholipid biosynthesis indicated that some level of methylated phospholipid is essential for viability. The cho2 locus was shown by tetrad analysis to be unlinked to other loci affecting phospholipid synthesis. Interestingly, cho2 mutants and other mutant strains that produce reduced levels of methylated phospholipids are unable to properly repress synthesis of the cytoplasmic enzyme inositol-1-phosphate synthase. This enzyme was previously shown to be regulated at the level of mRNA abundance in response to inositol and choline in the growth medium. We cloned the CHO2 gene on a 3.6-kb genomic DNA fragment and created a null allele of cho2 by disrupting the CHO2 gene in vivo. The cho2 disruptant, like all other cho2 mutants, is viable, exhibits altered regulation of inositol biosynthesis and is not auxotrophic for choline or MME.     

Lipid metabolism in large T47D human breast cancer spheroids: 31P- and 13C-NMR studies of choline and ethanolamine uptake.

31P- and 13C-NMR were used to determine the kinetics of choline and ethanolamine incorporation in T47D clone 11 human breast cancer cells grown as large (300 microns) spheroids. Spheroids were perfused inside the spectrometer with 1,2-13C-labeled choline or ethanolamine (0.028 mM) and the buildup of labeled phosphorylcholine (PC) or phosphorylethanolamine (PE) was monitored. To analyze the NMR kinetic data, it was assumed that each signal represents a weighted average of signal from the proliferating and non-proliferating compartments of the large spheroid. The average ATP pool size was 4 +/- 1 fmol/cell compared to 8 +/- 1 fmol/cell in small (150 microns) proliferating spheroids (P less than 0.0002). The average PC pool size at steady state was reduced to 11 +/- 6 fmol/cell compared to 22 +/- 8 (P less than 0.007). This could be correlated with an overall reduction of choline uptake in the non-proliferating spheroid fraction. The rate of the enzyme choline kinase was 0.3 fmol/(cell h) compared to 1.0 fmol/(cell h) (P less than 0.0001) for proliferating cells. The rate constant of CTP:phosphocholine cytidyltransferase (0.05 h-1) was not significantly altered, but the rate of the enzyme was reduced from 1.3 to 0.2-0.5 fmol/(cell h). The pool size of PE in medium containing serum ethanolamine (1.7 microM) was approximately the same (15 fmol/cell) in small and large spheroids. In the presence of high ethanolamine (0.028 mM) the average PE level decreased slightly (11 fmol/cell) and the rate of the enzyme ethanolamine kinase in the non-proliferating fraction was 0.7 fmol/(cell h) versus 1.0 fmol/(cell h) in the proliferating cells (P less than 0.07). The rate constant of CTP:phosphoethanolamine cytidyltransferase (0.07 h-1) was not significantly altered but the corresponding reaction rate was reduced from 1.4 to 0.2-0.8 fmol/(cell h). The kinetics of choline incorporation did not alter in the presence of 0.028 mM ethanolamine.     

Interaction of the water-soluble protein aprotinin with liposomes: gel-filtration, turbidity studies, and 31P NMR studies

The interactions of a water-soluble nonmembrane protein aprotinin with multilamellar vesicles (MLV) and small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) from soybean phospholipids were studied using Sephadex G-75 gel chromatography combined with different methods of the analysis of the eluate fractions (fluorescence, light-scattering, turbidity; 31P NMR spectroscopy). The composition of the liposomes mainly containing soybean phosphatidylcholine (PC) was varied by the addition of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and lyso-phosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC). To evaluate the lipid-protein interactions, the amount of aprotinin in the MLV-aprotinin complexes was determined. Lipid-protein interactions were found to strongly depend on the liposome composition, medium pH and ionic strength. These dependencies point to the electrostatic nature of the aprotinin-lipid interactions. 31P NMR spectroscopy of the MLV-aprotinin complexes indicated that aprotinin influences the phospholipid structure in MLV at pH 3.0. In the case of PC:PE:PI and PC:PE:PI:lyso-PC vesicles, aprotinin induced liposome aggregation and a lamellar-to-isotropic phase transition of the phospholipids.     

Cellular phospholipid uptake: Flexible paths to coregulate the functions of intracellular lipids

Mammalian and arthropod cells acquire phospholipids by protein-mediated pathways that comprise selective and whole particle uptake routes. Phospholipid uptake critically supports cellular incorporation of nutrition-derived polyunsaturated fatty acids. It can occur jointly with cholesterol uptake, but intracellular processing of phospholipids is distinctively different from sterol processing. The newly imported phospholipids are utilized for production of bioactive lipids, such as thromboxane A₂ and lyso phosphatidic acid, and for synthesis of triacylglycerol. Class B scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI) represents a major mediator of the uptake of various phospholipids. The related scavenger receptor CD36, as shown here, also facilitates cellular phospholipid uptake. CD36 supports import of the choline phospholipids phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SM), but not of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Other transferases trigger cellular uptake of selective phospholipids, such as phosphatidic acid (PA) phosphatases that facilitate PA import and thereby modify cell survival and synaptic transmission. Phospholipid uptake depends on the activation status of cells. Activation of blood platelets indeed increases PE uptake. This is mediated by the serpin protein C inhibitor (PCI) and enhances thrombin formation. Exchange of phospholipids between blood cells and lipoproteins partially adjusts the lipid distribution pattern of blood cells to the one of lipoprotein particles. This in turn modifies the activities of cell membrane sodium transporters and could thereby contribute to sodium flux alterations in the metabolic syndrome. The in vivo relevance of phospholipid uptake in humans is indicated by comparable and reversible changes in the same phospholipid species in both lipoproteins and cells after rapid removal of low-density lipoproteins. Finally, cells also incorporate oxidized (pathogenic) phospholipids using partially overlapping entry pathways as native phospholipids which might support the ability of oxidized lipids to promote atherothrombosis.     

Compartmentation of phosphorylated precursors of phospholipid biosynthesis in cultured neuroblastoma cells

The continuous turnover of membrane phospholipids requires a steady supply of biosynthetic precursors. We evaluated the effects of decreasing extracellular Na+ concentration on phospholipid metabolism in cultured neuroblastoma (N1E 115) cells. Incubating cultures with 145 to 0 mM NaCl caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of [32P]phosphate uptake into the water-soluble intracellular pool and incorporation into phospholipid. Phospholipid classes were differentially affected; [32P]phosphate incorporated into phosphati-dylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) was consistently less than into phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylserine (PS). This could not be attributed to decreased phospholipid synthesis since under identical conditions, there was no effect on arachidonic acid or ethanolamine incorporation, and choline utilization for PC synthesis was increased. The effect of Na+ was highly specific since reducing phosphate uptake to a similar extent by incubating cultures in a phosphate-deficient medium containing Na+ did not alter the relative distribution of [32P]phosphate in phospholipid. Of several cations tested only Li+ could partially (50%) replace Na+. Incubation in the presence of ouabain or amiloride had no effect on [32P]phosphate incorporation into phospholipid. The differential effects of low Na+ on [32P]phosphate incorporation into PI relative to PC and PE suggests preferential compartmentation of [32P]phosphate into ATP in pools used for phosphatidic acid synthesis and relatively less in ATP pools used for synthesis of phosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine, precursors of PC and PE, respectively. This suggestion of heterogeneous and distinct pools of ATP for phospholipid biosynthesis, and of potential modulation by Na+ ion, has important implications for understanding intracellular regulation of metabolism.     

In vivo 31P NMR study of early cellular responses to hyperosmotic shock in cultured glioma cells.

Cell volume regulation in the face of osmotic stress is a fundamental homeostatic activity, and is most critical in brain, which is spatially constrained. Despite the importance of this phenomenon, little is known about volume regulation in the brain, primarily because of the cellular heterogeneity in the tissue. We describe here simultaneous in vivo 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements of cell volume, intracellular pH and phosphate metabolites during early responses to hyperosmotic stress in C6 glioma cells perfused in NMR-compatible bioreactors. Cell volume was measured using dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) as a probe which has an intracellular NMR resonance shifted upfield from the extracellular resonance. The sensitivity of these measurements allowed 31P NMR spectra to be collected every 30 s. Following an increase in osmolarity from 320 to 480 mOsm by addition of NaCl to the perfusate, C6 glioma cells shrank to 67% of their original volume. We also observed a simultaneous increase of intracellular pH coincident with the decrease in cell volume. The signals from ATP decreased by 10%, but those from phosphocreatine (PCr) increased by 31% after hyperosmotic shock. However, correcting the ATP signals for the decrease in cell volume indicated that its intracellular concentrations increased after treatment. Signals from glycerophosphorylcholine (GPC) and glycerophosphorylethanolamine (GPE) were not changed significantly. This is the first in vivo report of early cellular responses monitored by NMR spectroscopy following hyperosmotic shock in cultured cells.     

The cytoplasmic domains of phospholamban and phospholemman associate with phospholipid membrane surfaces

Phospholamban (PLB) and phospholemman (PLM, also called FXYD1) are small transmembrane proteins that interact with P-type ATPases and regulate ion transport in cardiac cells and other tissues. This work has investigated the hypothesis that the cytoplasmic domains of PLB and PLM, when not interacting with their regulatory targets, are stabilized through associations with the surface of the phospholipid membrane. Peptides representing the 35 C-terminal cytoplasmic residues of PLM (PLM(37-72)), the 23 N-terminal cytoplasmic residues of PLB (PLB(1-23)), and the same sequence phosphorylated at Ser-16 (P-PLB(1-23)) were synthesized to examine their interactions with model membranes composed of zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids alone or in admixture with anionic phosphatidylglycerol (PG) lipids. Wide-line 2H NMR spectra of PC/PG membranes, with PC deuterated in the choline moiety, indicated that all three peptides interacted with the membrane surface and perturbed the orientation of the choline headgroups. Fluorescence and 31P magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR measurements indicated that PLB(1-23) and P-PLB(1-23) had a higher affinity for PC/PG membranes, which carry an overall negative surface charge, than for PC membranes, which have no net surface charge. The 31P MAS NMR spectra of the PC/PG membranes in the presence of PLM(37-72), PLB(1-23), and P-PLB(1-23) indicated that all three peptides induced clustering of the lipids into PC-enriched and PG-enriched regions. These findings support the theory that the cytoplasmic domains of PLB and PLM are stabilized by interacting with lipid headgroups at the membrane surface, and it is speculated that such interactions may modulate the functional properties of biological membranes.     

31P and 2H NMR studies of structure and motion in bilayers of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine

The structural and motional properties of mixed bilayers of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) have been examined by using wide-line 31P, 14N, and 2H NMR. 2H and 14N NMR data showed that in mixed bilayers containing both PC and PE the conformations of the head-group moieties are essentially identical with those observed for bilayers containing a single phospholipid species. Equimolar amounts of cholesterol induce also only a small change in head-group conformation. 31P T1 relaxation measurements (at 300 MHz) at various temperatures of bilayers containing phospholipids with a mixture of phosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine head-groups and unsaturated fatty acid residues revealed in all cases a clearly defined minimum corresponding to the condition omega O tau C-1 approximately 1. For all phospholipid mixtures studied, the 31P T1 relaxation was homogeneous over the whole powder spectrum and could be fitted to a single-exponential decay. The 31P vs temperature profiles were analyzed by a simple correlation model following the analysis of Seelig et al. (1981) [Seelig, J., Tamm, L., Hymel, L., & Fleischer, S. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 3922-3932]. Rotational diffusion of the phosphate moiety in bilayers of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) was slower than that of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), and the activation energy was increased by a factor of 1.7 to 31.4 kJ mol-1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

De novo CDP-choline-dependent glycerophosphorylcholine synthesis and its involvement as an intermediate in phosphatidylcholine synthesis

The activity of CDP-choline-dependent glycerophosphorylcholine synthetase (CDP-choline:sn-3-glycerophosphate cholinetransferase), a newly discovered enzyme involved in the recently proposed pathways of acyl-specific phosphatidylcholine synthesis, is reported in rat liver. Endogenous CDP-choline, synthesized via the CMP-driven back reaction of phosphorylcholine transferase, is also shown to be a choline donor for this glycerophosphorylcholine synthetase. The function of glycerophosphorylcholine as an intermediate in phosphatidylcholine synthesis is demonstrated by specific isotope trapping whereby unlabelled glycerophosphorylcholine inhibited label incorporation from sn-[14C]glycerol-3-phosphate into phosphatidylcholine in mouse gastrocnemius, a tissue that is essentially devoid of the cytidine pathway for phosphatidylcholine synthesis and uses a non-allelic glycerophosphorylcholine synthetase (exogenous PC:sn-3-glycerophosphate cholinetransferase) in the synthesis of glycerophosphorylcholine.     

Lymphocyte Activation-31P Magnetic Resonance Studies of Energy Metabolism and Phospholipid Pathways

³¹P NMR spectra of perfused lymphocytes embedded in alginate capsules and activated by interleukin-2 (IL-2) are remarkably different from those of control lymphocytes. The main differences are the appearance and gradual increase of phosphodiester signals, glycerophosphocholine and glycerophosphoethanolamine. These metabolic changes also occur following perfusion with phorbol ester and after incubation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and are not dependent on a special growth medium. Nifedipine, a calcium channel blocking drug, inhibits the effects of PHA, but not of IL-2. There are no NMR spectral differences between peripheral lymphocytes, stimulated for 3 weeks, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Thus, sustained accelerated turnover of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine is an inherent feature of the activation process. ³¹P NMR spectra of lymphocytes are characterized by a low phosphocholine signal. Perfusion studies with high concentrations of choline and the use of dapsone, an inhibitor of phosphocholine cytidyltransferase, indicate that choline kinase plays a key role in regulating PC synthesis in human lymphocytes.     

Effect of membrane phosphatidylethanolamine-deficiency/phosphatidylcholine-excess on the metabolism of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine.

Cells of epithelial origin generally require ethanolamine (Etn) to grow in defined culture medium. When such cells are grown without Etn, the membrane phospholipid composition changes drastically, becoming phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)-deficient due to a reduced de novo rate of PE synthesis, and growth stops. We have hypothesized that the cessation of growth occurs because this membrane phospholipid environment is no longer suitable for membrane-associated functions. Phospholipid has long been known to play a role in the transduction of some signals across membranes. In addition to the well-known phosphatidylinositol cycles, hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and PE has recently been shown to play a central role in signal transduction. Using an Etn-requiring rat mammary cell line 64-24, we have studied the metabolism of PC and PE in response to the phorbol ester phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) under conditions where cells have either normal or PE-deficient membrane phospholipid. In cells having normal membrane phospholipid, the synthesis of PC was stimulated by PDBu (approximately fourfold), as was the degradation of PC and PE (by twofold and fourfold, respectively). Product analysis suggested that PDBu stimulated hydrolysis of PC by both phospholipases C and D (PLC and PLD), and of PE by PLD. However, in PE-deficient cells, neither lipid synthesis or degradation were significantly stimulated by PDBu. Analysis of the CDP-choline pathway of PC synthesis indicated that the regulatory enzyme, CTP:phosphorylcholine cytidylyltransferase, was stimulated about twofold by PDBu in cells having normal membrane, but not in PE-deficient cells. These results indicate that the membrane phospholipid environment profoundly affects phospholipid metabolism, which no doubt influences cell growth and regulation.     

Interaction of the Water-Soluble Protein Aprotinin with Liposomes: Gel-Filtration,Turbidity Studies,and 31P NMR Studies

Abstract

The interactions of a water-soluble nonmembrane protein aprotinin with multilamellar vesicles (MLV) and small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) from soybean phospholipids were studied using Sephadex G-75 gel chromatography combined with different methods of the analysis of the eluate fractions (fluorescence, light-scattering, turbidity; ³¹P NMR spectroscopy). The composition of the liposomes mainly containing soybean phosphatidylcholine (PC) was varied by the addition of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and lyso-phosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC). To evaluate the lipid-protein interactions, the amount of aprotinin in the MLV–aprotinin complexes was determined. Lipid–protein interactions were found to strongly depend on the liposome composition, medium pH and ionic strength. These dependencies point to the electrostatic nature of the aprotinin-lipid interactions. ³¹P NMR spectroscopy of the MLV–aprotinin complexes indicated that aprotinin influences the phospholipid structure in MLV at pH 3.0. In the case of PC:PE:PI and PC:PE:PI:lyso-PC vesicles, aprotinin induced liposome aggregation and a lamellar-to-isotropic phase transition of the phospholipids.     

Phospholipid uptake by Plasmodium knowlesi infected erythrocytes

The uptake of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) in Plasmodium knowlesi infected erythrocytes has been studied. Whereas uptake of phospholipids, in the absence of phospholipid transfer proteins, is negligible in control cells, the infected cells can incorporate considerable amounts of added phospholipids. The uptake is enhanced by the presence of lipid transfer proteins. Doubly labeled [3H]oleate, [14C]choline) PC does not undergo any appreciable remodelling following uptake, which strongly suggests that plasma PC is used as such for the biogenesis of the parasite membranes. Transport of extracellularly offered PS and PE towards the intraerythrocytic parasite and utilization of these lipids by the parasite are confirmed by the observation that these lipids are converted into respectively PE and PC. The extent and rate of these conversions depend on the way the phospholipids are introduced into the infected cells.     

Ha-ras-transformation alters the metabolism of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts

Cultured NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were employed to investigate the changes in the phospholipid metabolism induced by Ha-ras transformation. All phospholipid fractions were reduced in ras-transformed fibroblasts except phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). The incorporation of labeled choline and ethanolamine into phosphatidylcholine (PC), PE and their corresponding metabolites were elevated in a similar manner in the transformed cells. The enhanced uptake of choline and ethanolamine correlated with the activation of choline kinase and ethanolamine kinase. Similarly, the uptake of arachidonic, oleic and palmitic acids by PC and PE was higher in ras-cells. Acyl-CoA synthetases, which esterify fatty acid before their incorporation into lysophospholipids, were also activated. However, both CTP:phosphocholine-cytidylyltransferase and CTP:phosphoethanolamine-chytidyltransferase were inhibited in the transformed cells. This fact, taken together with the observed activation of choline- and ethanolamine kinases, led to accumulation of phosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine, which have been presumed to participate in the processes of tumor development. PC biosynthesis seemed to be carried out through the CDP-choline pathway, which was stimulated in the oncogenic cells, whereas PE was more likely, a product of phosphatidylserine decarboxylation rather than the CDP-ethanolamine pathway.