Interrelationships among the ethanolamine phosphatides in myelinating rat brain

Abstract— —The ethanolamine phosphatide fraction was isolated from rat brain at 17, 19, and 22 days of age. Analysis by gas-liquid chromatography of the liberated fatty aldehydes and alkyl glyceryl ethers demonstrated a chain length composition quite distinct from that of the fatty acids in the comparable 1(3)-position of the diacyl phosphatides. [1-¹⁴C]-Acetate was administered intraperitoneally to 17-day-old rats. With the exception of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, isotope was readily incorporated into the individual side chains of the 1- and 2-positions of the glycerol moiety. Time studies revealed no readily discernible precursor-product relationships among the linkages in question. Therefore, although the long chain precursors for the alkenyl and alkyl ethers may be related by biosynthetic interconversion, the isotope data are suggestive of independent pathways of biosynthesis for the alkenyl ether, alkyl ether, and ester linkages.     

Preparation and properties of phosphatidal ethanolamine from bovine white matter

The preparation of phosphatidal ethanolamine (Pal-E) from the ethanolamine phosphatide (EP) fraction of bovine brain white matter is described. The method is based upon the resistance of the plasmalogen 2-acyl linkage to mild alkaline hydrolysis in the presence of methanol and in the absence of chloroform. The average yield was 62% of the Pal-E originally present in the EP preparations. The IR, NMR, and ORD spectra of Pal-E were as expected on the basis of the groups present. The average molar absorbancy index at 6.02 μ was 177. The presence of signals at 260.5 and 254.5 cpm in the NMR spectrum, along with the results obtained from the IR spectrum, allowed the unequivocal assignment of the cis-configuration to the 1-alkenyl linkage. No deviations from plain positive ORD curves were seen. The distribution of hydrocarbon residues was ascertained from GLC. The aldehydogenic residues on the 1-position contained 41% of normal olefinic unsaturation in that portion of the chain exclusive of the 1-alkenyl group. Phosphatidalkyl ethanolamine was isolated from EP preparation and, after direct quantification, shown to account for 7% of the phosphorus of the fraction.     

Relative cadmium-binding capacity of metallothionein and other cytosolic fractions in various tissues of the rat.

The Cd-binding capacity of soluble proteins in 10 tissues of normal rats not excessively exposed to heavy metals was measured by saturation of freshly isolated cytosol with 109CdCl2 in vitro followed by Sephadex G-75 chromatography. The Cd-binding capacity of a 10,000 molecular weight Cd-binding peak (10,000 MW Cd-BP), which had a high affinity for Cd and was probably metallothionein, was the highest in kidney (78nmol Cd/g fresh tissue), followed by testis (63 nmol/g), liver (38 nmol/g) and then by brain (14 nmol/g). The amount of the Cd-BP in these tissues (assuming that it was metallothionein and bound 9 mol Cd/10,000g) was calculated to be 87, 70, 42 and 16 mg/kg fresh tissue in kidney, testis, liver and brain, respectively, or in the order of 10(-5) to 10(-6) mol/kg tissue. A significant amount of the 10,000 MW Cd-BP was also found in small intestine. It was present in rather small amounts in heart and lung, and possibly in spleen and skeletal muscle as well. In contrast, the protein was not detectable by this technique in plasma. The results suggest that metallothionein is a rather ubiquitous, intracellular protein in tissues of normal animals and may have other biological functions, besides its possible fortuitous role in heavy metal detoxification. A 30,000 molecular weight Cd-binding peak (30,000 MW Cd-BP) having a very high affinity Cd, apparently higher than that of the 10,000 MW Cd-BP, was found only in testes, among the 10 tissues examined. Its estimated Cd-binding capacity was 51 nmol Cd/g of testis, slightly less than that of metallothionein in testis. These findings support the hypothesis that the 30,000 MW Cd-BP is a plausible target of Cd in Cd-induced testicular injury, and suggest a basis for the peculiar sensitivity of the rat testis to Cd.     

Phospholipids of rat tissues after feeding pure phosphatidyl ethanolamine and lecithin

Pure phosphatidyl ethanolamine and lecithin from egg yolks were fed to rats in saline or in olive oil and the changes in individual phospholipids in the intestinal wall, liver, and plasma of the animals were studied. Ingestion of olive oil alone produced increased levels of all phospholipid fractions in each of the three tissues. Feeding phosphatidyl ethanolamine in saline resulted in slightly increased plasma phospholipids, but levels of liver total phospholipids were greatly reduced; when phosphatidyl ethanolamine was fed with olive oil, liver phospholipids were again reduced but this reduction was confined to the phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidic acid fractions. Feeding lecithin alone did not produce significant changes in levels of plasma or tissue phospholipids. The results suggest that liver phospholipid synthesis is depressed by feeding phosphatidyl ethanolamine; in the presence of olive oil, hepatic synthesis of phosphatidyl ethanolamine seems to be more selectively inhibited.     

Quantitative evaluation of two pathways for ethanolamine phosphoglyceride biosynthesis in rat brainin vivo

[³H]Ethanolamine and [³²P]orthophosphate were injected intraventricularly into adult female rats. At varying time intervals after the injection (1–10 min), the animals were killed by means of a microwave apparatus, and phosphorylethanolamine and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides were extracted from the brains and counted after separation. The kinetic constants for phosphorylethanolamine incorporation into ethanolamine lipids were calculated both from³H data and from³²P data. From our results, it seems that base exchange reactions for ethanolamine incorporation into ethanolamine lipids are a pathway active in brainin vivo.     

Immunohistochemical demonstration of prostaglandins in various tissues of the rat

To demonstrate the tissue localization of prostaglandin (PG) E₂, PGF₂ and 6-keto-PGF₁ (a stable metabolite of PGI₂) various tissues, including decalcified periodontal tissue of 7-week-old male Wistar strain rats, were immunohistochemically examined using a streptavidin-biotin complex method. Besides tissue macrophages and endothelial cells in various tissues, hepatocytes, renal tubular cells, and parietal and chief cells in the gastric mucosa showed a positive reaction for the various PGs examined. PGs were demonstrated in the cytoplasm or in association with the cell membrane. We generally observed no difference between the localization patterns of PGE₂-, PGF₂-, and 6-keto-PGF₁-positive cells in these tissues. However, in the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone, 6-keto-PGF₁ was localized in the cytoplasm of osteocytes, osteoblasts, cementocytes, and cementoblasts, while no reaction for PGE₂ or PGF₂ was revealed in these cells. We demonstrated the immunohistochemical localization of PGs in various rat tissues including decalcified periodontal tissue and discuss the important roles of PGs in the modulation of their normal functions in these tissues.     

Enzymatic determination of betaine in rat tissues

We have developed a sensitive and specific assay for the content of betaine in animal tissues. The method depends on the methylation of homocysteine by [¹⁴CH₃]betaine in the presence of the enzyme betaine: homocysteine methyltransferase. Dilution of the radioactive substrate by the betaine contained in processed extracts reduces the specific activity of the products. Since the reciprocal of product radioactivity is a linear function of the amount of betaine in this sample, the latter can be determined.     

Evidence for the existence of multiple forms of choline (ethanolamine) kinase in rat tissues

In order to characterize the form of choline kinase in rat tissues, both electrophoretic and gel chromatographic patterns of choline kinase activity were compared in the liver, kidney, lung, whole intestine and carbon tetrachloride-induced liver cytosols. Kinetic parameters of the reaction were also compared for the main forms of choline kinase protein from these tissues. The overall results suggested strongly that choline kinase does not exist in one particular active form but exists in multiple forms in rat tissues. In the study present here, the electrophoretic patterns of both choline kinase and ethanolamine kinase activities were compared in rat liver, kidney, lung and intestinal cytosols. The results strongly supported the view that both kinase activities are represented on the same enzyme protein(s) in each of the rat tissues examined.     

Comparison of the rat microsomal Mg-ATPase of various tissues

The microsomal Mg-ATPase from various rat tissues was compared. After fractionating the microsomal vesicles by sucrose gradient centrifugation, the highest specific activity of the Mg-ATPase was found in the low-density vesicles which contained plasma membrane. A large fraction (25-90%) of the microsomal Ca-independent Mg-ATPase found in each tissue had the following properties: (1) the Km for ATP was 0.2 mM; (2) the rate of ATP hydrolysis by the Mg-ATPase was nonlinear due to an ATP-stimulated inactivation of the enzyme; (3) wheat germ agglutinin, concanavalin A, glutaraldehyde, and antiserum prevented inactivation induced by ATP or AdoPP[NH]P; (4) detergents at relatively low detergent:protein ratios increased the rate of inactivation with little change in the initial rate of ATP hydrolysis; (5) the Mg-ATPase was inactivated by irradiation in the presence of 8-azido ATP. (6) in addition to ATP, the Mg-ATPase was able to hydrolyze CTP, GTP, UTP, ITP, and GTP but was unable to hydrolyze any of the 10 nonnucleotide phosphocompounds which were tested; (7) the bivalent cation requirement of the Mg-ATPase could be provided by Mg2+, Ca2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, or Co2+ but the enzyme was inactive in the presence of Cu2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, or Be2+; (8) the Mg-ATPase activity was not altered by ionophores or inhibitors of the Na,K-ATPase, the Ca,Mg-ATPase or the mitochondrial F1ATPase. These data suggest that a major portion of the microsomal, basal Mg-ATPase activity is due to one unique enzyme found in most if not all tissues.