Lipid and Fatty-acid Composition of Diatoms

The lipids and fatty acids of two freshwater diatoms Nitzschiapalea Kutz, Navicula muralis Lewin, and one marine species,Navicula incerta Grun. have been studied. The major lipid components in all species were triglycerides,monogalactosyl, digalactosyl and sulphoquinovosyl diglycerides,phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl choline (lecithin), andphosphatidyl ethanolamine; while palmitoleic, palmitic, eicosapentaenoicand eicosate-traenoic acids were the major fatty acid constituents.The two galactolipids, monogalactosyl and digalactosyl diglyceridescontained large amounts of C₁₆ and C₂₀ polyunsaturated fattyacids. Lipids of diatoms, whether grown in the light or in the dark,were the same apart from quantitative differences. More storagelipids such as triglycerides were synthesized in the light thanin the dark.     

Changes in Lipid and Fatty Acid Metabolism of Vicia faba Mesophyll Protoplasts

The metabolism of the major polar and neutral lipids of Viciafaba protoplasts isolated from ¹⁴CO₂-fed leaves has been examined.The results show large losses in the radioactivity found inphosphatidylcholine and monogalactosyldiacylglycerol while thatof phosphatidylglycerol was stable. This loss was accountedfor by a rapid increase in the ¹⁴C content of the neutral lipids,particularly the triacylglycerols. Analysis of the fatty acidradioactivity in the lipids suggests that protoplast isolationinhibited fatty acid desaturation on phosphatidylcholine andpossibly on other lipids. These results also suggest a roleof phosphatidylcholine in the donation of fatty acids for triacylglycerolsynthesis in mesophyll protoplasts. The results are discussedin terms of the regulation of lipid metabolism and protoplastbiology. (Received April 20, 1984; Accepted August 27, 1984)     

Endocrine Regulation of Lipid Synthesis in Decapod Crustaceans

The legulation of lipid synthesis in the hepatopancreas of thecrab Pachygrapsus crassipes and the crayfish Procambarus sp.was investigated. Although deatalking induces an increase inthe rate of ¹⁴C-1-acetate incorporation into lipid, injectionsof crustecdysone into intermolt animals fail to elicit a similarresponse. In addition, the increased rate of lipid synthesisinduced by destalking is unaffected by removal of the Y-organ.It would appear then that the increase in lipid synthesis characteristicof early premolt is not controlled by either crustecdysone orthe Y-organ. It is suggested that formation of acetyl-CoA byany one of a number of possible mechanisms may bethe mannerin which the increase in fatty acid synthesis is effected duringpremolt.     

Studies on the Temperature Shift-induced Desaturation of Fatty Acids in Monogalactosyl Diacylglycerol in the Blue-green Alga (Cyanobacterium), Anabaena variabilis

The desaturation of fatty acids in the monogalactosyl diacylglycerolupon a downward shift in temperature was studied under variousconditions in Anabaena variabilis. The following conclusionsare drawn from the experimental results. (1) The desaturationof palmitic to palmitoleic acids after the temperature shiftfrom 38 to 22°C occurs in the dark as well as in the light.The desaturations of oleic to linoleic and of linoleic to linolenicacids after the temperature shift are stimulated by illumination.(2) The C₁₆ and C₁₈ acids are desaturated to different degreesdepending on the magnitude of the temperature shift. (3) Thedesaturations require molecular oxygen. (4) Syntheses of RNAand proteins are involved in the mechanism for the temperatureshift-induced desaturation of fatty acids. (Received May 27, 1981; Accepted July 7, 1981)     

Inhibition of Ethylene Production by Fatty Acids in Fruit and Vegetable Tissues

Fatty acids of chain length from C₄ to C₁₂ inhibited ethyleneproduction in wounded albedo tissue of Hassaku (Citrus hassakuHort. ex Tanaka) fruit. Of the fatty acids tested, caprylicacid (C₈) and capric acid (C₁₀) were the most effective. Lauricacid (C₁₂) was less effective, and caproic acid (C₆) and butyricacid (C₄) were the least effective. Caprylic acid at 5 mM markedlyinhibited ethylene production in not only wounded albedo tissueof citrus fruit but also apple (Malus sylvestris Mill.) cortex,tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) pericarp, cucumber (Cucumissativus L.) cortex, banana (Musa AAA group Cavendish subgroup)pulp, broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.) floret, spinach (Spinaciaoleracea L.) leaf, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) leaf and mungbean (Vigna radiata [L.] Wilczek) hypocotyl. Caprylic acid inhibitedethylene production at the step of conversion of l-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylicacid to ethylene. The inhibition could be partially relievedby transferring the tissue to caprylic acid-free medium. (Received June 15, 1982; Accepted August 13, 1982)     

Direct Evaluation of Effects of Fatty-Acid Unsaturation on the Thermal Properties of Photosynthetic Activities, as Studied by Mutation and Transformation of Synechocystis PCC6803

Glycerolipids of thylakoid membranes isolated from the cyanobacteriumSynechocystis PCC6803 contained high levels of dienoic and trienoicC₁₈ fatty acids, in addition to saturated C₁₆ and monoenoicC₁₈ fatty acids. A mutant (Fadl2) of this cyanobacterium wasdefective in the desaturation of C₁₈ fatty acids at the ¹² position,and its thylakoid membranes lacked trienoic acids and containeda very reduced level of dienoic acids. A derivative strain ofFadl2 (Fadl2/desA), which had been transformed with a gene fordesaturation at the ¹² position, fully recovered the abilityto desaturate the fatty acids in the glycerolipids of thylakoidmembranes. The thermal properties of the photosynthetic activitiesof the mutant and the transformant were compared with thoseof the wild-type strain. Despite great diversity in the extentof unsaturation of fatty acids between the wild-type, Fadl2,and Fad12/desA strains, no significant differences were foundeither in the temperature dependence of photosynthesis or inthe heat stability of photosynthetic, photosystem II and photosystemI activities. These results demonstrate that the trienoic fattyacids and, probably, the dienoic acids of the lipids in thethylakoid membrane do not affect the thermal properties of theabove-mentioned activities of photosynthesis. ³Permanent address: Institute of Plant Physiology, BiologicalResearch Center of Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6701 Szeged,P.O. Box 521, Hungary (Received August 9, 1990; Accepted December 7, 1990)     

Participation and Properties of Lipoxygenase and Hydroperoxide Lyase in Volatile C6-Aldehyde Formation from C18-Unsaturated. Fatty Acids in Isolated Tea Chloroplasts

Isolated tea chloroplasts utilized linoleic acid, linolenicacid and their 13-hydroperoxides as substrates for volatileC₆-aldehyde formation. Optimal pH values for oxygen uptake,hydroperoxide lyase and the overall reaction from C₁₈-fattyacids to C₆-aldehydes were 6.3, 7.0 and 6.3, respectively. Methyllinoleate, linoleyl alcohol and -linolenic acid were poor substratesfor the overall reaction, but linoleic and linolenic acids weregood substrates. The 13-hydroperoxides of the above fatty acidsand alcohol also showed substrate specificity similar to thatof fatty acids. Oxygen uptakes (relative V_max) with methyl linoleate,linoleyl alcohol, linolenic acid, -linolenic acid and arachidonicacid were comparable to or higher than that with linoleic acid.In winter leaves, the activity for C₆-aldehyde formation fromC₁₈-fatty acids was raduced to almost zero. This was due tothe reduction in oxygenation. The findings presented here provideevidence for the involvement of lipoxygenase and hydroperoxidelyase in C₆-aldehyde formation in isolated chloroplasts. (Received July 11, 1981; Accepted November 5, 1981)     

Acyl-CoA Synthetase in Maturing Safflower Seeds

Acyl-CoA synthetase in maturing seeds of safflower (Carthamustinctorius) was membranebound, and the highest specific activitywas associated with microsomes. Activity absolutely dependedon the concentrations of fatty acid, CoA, ATP and Mg²⁺. Theapparent K_m values were 4.2 µM for oleate, 24 µMfor CoA, and 250 µM for ATP. The optimum pH of the reactionwas 7.5. Triacsin C, a potent inhibitor of the animal and bacterialacyl-CoA synthetase, was ineffective for the safflower enzyme.The enzyme utilized C₁₆ and C₁₈ long-chain fatty acids preferentially,while medium-chain and very-long-chain fatty acids were poorsubstrates. The order of specificity for native fatty acidswas linoleate > oleate=palmitate > stearate. Althoughactivity per seed varied during seed maturation, it was enoughto account for the rate of triacylglycerol synthesis in vivo. (Received February 2, 1993; Accepted March 3, 1993)     

Photosynthetic Carbon Metabolism in an Amphibious Sedge, Eleocharis baldwinii (Torr.) Chapman: Modified Expression of C4 Characteristics under Submerged Aquatic Conditions

The photosynthetic characteristics of Eleocharis baldwinii (Torr.)Chapman, an amphibious leafless plant in the Cyperaceae, wereinvestigated in both the terrestrial form and the submergedform of the plant. Anatomical observation of the culm, whichis the photosynthetic organ in this plant, revealed that theterrestrial form has the Kranz type of anatomy, whereas thesubmerged form has an inner structure that is similar to thatof submerged aquatic plants, with a reduction in both the numberand the size of bundle sheath cells and vascular bundles andrelatively well developed mesophyll cells. In ¹⁴C-pulse ¹²C-chaseexperiments with the terrestrial form, 80% of the total fixed¹⁴C was incorporated into C₄ dicarboxylic acids after a 10-spulse. The radioactivity in the C₄ acids decreased rapidly,while that in sucrose increased to 36% during a 120-s chase.In the submerged form, 64% and 30% of the total fixed ¹⁴C wasincorporated into C₄ acids and phosphate esters, respectively,after a 10-s pulse. The radioactivity of these compounds decreasedrelatively slowly during a 120-s chase. The specific activitieson a chlorophyll basis of C₄ photosynthetic enzymes that areinvolved in the NAD-ME subtype were high in the terrestrialform, while they were intermediate between those of C₃ and C₄plants in the submerged form. The activity of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphatecarboxylase was 1.5 times higher in the submerged form thanin the terrestrial form. By contrast, the activity of carbonicanhydrase exhibited the reverse tendency. Western blot analysisof soluble proteins extracted from the mesophyll cells and thebundle sheath strands of the terrestrial form demonstrated thatribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase protein waspresent in the mesophyll cells as well as in the bundle sheathcells, with a higher level in the latter, although phosphoenolpyruvatecarboxylase and pyruvate, P_i dikinase proteins were restrictedto the mesophyll cells. In the submerged form, diurnal fluctuationsin levels of malate were observed with significant fixationof CO₂ at night. However, the diurnal changes of malate weresmaller than those reported for CAM plants. These data indicatethat the terrestrial form of Eleocharis baldwinii fixes atmosphericCO₂ essentially via the C₄ pathway, while the submerged formfixes inorganic carbon via a complex metabolic system that resemblesan intermediate between C₃ and C₄ metabolism in associationwith a CAM-like profile. (Received September 12, 1994; Accepted November 21, 1994)     

(Na+-K+)-stimulated ATPase in Leaves of C4 Plants: Possible Involvement in Active Transport of C4 Acids

Leaves of three C₄ plants, Setaria italica, Pennisetum typhoides,and Amaranthus paniculatus possessed five- to ten-fold higheractivities of a (Na⁺-K⁺)-dependent ATPase than those of twoC₃ plants, Oryza sativa and Rumex vesicarius. Na⁺-K⁺ ATPasefrom leaves of Amarathus exhibited an optimal pH of 7?5 andan optimal temperature of 35 ?C. It required 40 mM K⁺ and 80mM Na⁺ for maximal activity. Ouabain partially inhibited (Na⁺-K⁺)-dependentATPase activity in leaves of C₄ plants. Ouabain also blockedthe movement of label from initially formed C₄ acids into endproducts in leaves of only C₄ plants, Setaria and Amaranthusbut not in a C₃ plant, Rumex. We propose that Na⁺-K⁺ ATPasemay mediate transfer of energy during active transport of C₄acids from mesophyll into the bundle sheath.     

Effects of inhibitors on the enzyme system producing C6-aldehydes from C18-unsaturated fatty acids in chloroplasts of Japanese silver (Farfugium japonicum) leaves

When chloroplasts isolated from Farfugium japonicum (Japanesesilver) leaves were used as an enzyme source, the activity ofthe enzyme system producing C₆-aldehydes (cis-3-hexenal andn-hexanal) from C₁₈-unsaturated fatty acids (linolenic and linoleicacids) decreased upon treatment with LAHase from potato. Thisenzyme system could not be separated from chlorophylls and lipidsby detergent treatment and was not affected by light illumination,CCCP or DCMU. The activity of the enzyme system was inhibitedby MB and NTB used as a redox reagent, SKF 525-A as an oxidaseinhibitor and DABCO as a quencher of singlet oxygen, but notby DCIP, PMS and SOD. These data suggest that; i) interactionof the enzyme system with lipids is required for maximal enzymeactivity, ii) this enzyme system may involve electron mediator(s),and iii) singlet oxygen takes part in the enzyme reaction. (Received October 28, 1977; )     

Activation of 20S Proteasomes from Spinach Leaves by Fatty Acids

In order to clarify the mechanism of activation of plant 20Sproteasomes by fatty acids, we examined the effects of oleic,linoleic and linolenic acids on the three peptidase activitiesof purified 20S proteasomes from spinach leaves and comparedthem with the effects of SDS, a previously characterized activatorof 20S proteasomes. The three fatty acids all activated thehydrolysis of succinyl-Leu-Leu-Val-Tyr-4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide(Suc-LLVYMCA) and benzyloxycarbonyl-Leu-Leu-Glu-2-naphthylamide(Cbz-LLE-2NA) at low concentrations (one-third to one-sixthof that required for activation by SDS). The range of concentrationsof linolenic acid for the activation of Suc-LLVY-MCA hydrolysiswas very narrow. All the fatty acids inhibited the hydrolysisof tert-butoxycarbonyl-Leu-Arg-Arg-4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide(Boc-LRR-MCA)at extremely low concentrations (one-fifth to one-fifteenthof that required for the activation of the hydrolysis of Suc-LLVY-MCAand Cbz-LLE-2NA). In the case of hydrolysis of Suc-LLVY-MCA,SDS and the three fatty acids increased the V_max value and decreasedthe apparent K_m value to similar relative extents. In the caseof hydrolysis of Boc-LLE-MCA, SDS and the three fatty acidsalso decreased the K_m and increased the V_max. However, SDS markedlyincreased V_max. The curves representing the SDS-dependent activationwere shifted to a lower range by the addition of linoleic acid,but the maximum activity at the optimum concentration of SDSwas essentially unchanged. These results suggest that the activationby SDS and that by the fatty acids has an additive effect. Theresults imply that fatty acids, such as linolenic acid, mightact as physiological regulators in plant cells. (Received April 10, 1995; Accepted December 22, 1995)     

Studies on cutin-esterase I. Preparation of cutin and its fatty acid component from tomato fruit peel

Examination was made of the fatty acid component of tomato cutinvia gas-liquid chromatography and thin layer chromatography.Dihydroxyeicosanoic acid was identified as a major componentof tomato cutinic acid in contrast with the results of BAKERand MARTIN (1) who recognized 10,16-dihydroxyhexadecanoic acidas the dominant acid of cutin in all plants tested. On the thinlayer chromatograms we found more than nine kinds of fatty acidsin the cutin hydrolysate which was saponified with ethanol-potashsolution. The gas-liquid chromatogram for trimethylsilyl etherderivatives of methyl cutinate showed somewhat different results,i.e., unsaturated decanoic, t_R 1.4, unsaturated stearic, t_R4.2 and unsaturated octadecanedioic acid, t_R 16.0 as unsaturatedfatty acids. Two more than C₂₂-hydroxyfatty acids were recognizedas minor components. Beside these components, octanoic, t_R 0.9,hydroxydecanoic, t_R 7.0 and cis-epoxy-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid,t_R 18.7 were identified. The biosynthesis of cutin is positednot to be fulfilled or to be delayed due to less lipoxidaseactivity in tomato fruit. ¹Biological Laboratory, Research Department, Nihon Noyaku Co.Ltd., Kawachinagano, Osaka, Japan (Received December 8, 1969; )     

Development of Lipid Synthesis from CO2 in Avena Leaves during Greening of Etiolated Seedlings

The development of the lipid synthesizing system in Avena leafsections was examined in connection with carbon fixation duringthe greening of etiolated seedlings under light. During theinitial 2 h illumination there was a low level of CO₂ fixationby PEP carboxylation, but its products, malate and citrate,did not serve as a carbon source for lipid synthesis, althoughlipid synthesis from acetate had already been established. Withthe initiation of Calvin cycle activity after the initial 2h illumination, lipid synthesis began, with CO₂ fixed by RuBPcarboxylation serving exclusively as the carbon source. Fattyacid synthesis in the leaves during the initial 3 h illumination,unlike the fatty acid synthesis thereafter, was insensitiveto thiolactomycin, an inhibitor of type II fatty acid synthetasecontained in the plastids, and was not dependent on light, incontrast to light-dependent activity in greened leaves. The distribution of ¹⁴C incorporated into lipid molecules fromNaH¹⁴CO₃ showed an equal ratio of ¹⁴C in fatty acid, glyceroland choline moieties of labeled phosphatidylcholine, but a denserradioactivity in the galactose moiety than in the residual moietyof mono- and di-galactosyldiacylglycerols. This suggests a regulatedsupply of glycerol, choline and fatty acid moieties for phosphatidylcholinesynthesis, and an excess supply of galactose to diacylglycerolmoiety for galactosyldiacylglycerol synthesis in Avena leaves. (Received October 31, 1984; Accepted January 25, 1985)     

Fat Metabolism in the West African Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)

During germination in the light, the endosperm, containing ahigh proportion of reserve fat (composed largely of shorter-chain(C₈ to C₁₄ saturated fatty acids), is slowly invaded by theexpanding haustorium (cotyledon). Free fatty acids accumulatein the endosperm, preferential hydrolysis of longer-chain saturatedacids (C₁₄ to C₁₈ occurring under conditions of slow growth.Lipids are absorbed by the haustorium, the process being superficiallysimilar in certain respects to intestinal fat absorption. Whencomplicating factors are removed, absorption is found to beunselective during disappearance of 75 per cent, of the endospermlipids. Amounts of lipid in the haustorium are low compared with thehigh concentration in the surrounding endosperm and, beforephotosynthesis starts, losses through respiration account fora large part of the reserves which disappear. No free fattyacids are present in the haustorium. Breakdown of fatty acids is relatively unspecific, althoughthe acids characteristic of the haustorium (C₁₆ C₁₈, oleic andlinoleic acids) are metabolized some what less rapidly thanthe shorter-chain saturated acids (C₈ to C₁₄ characteristicof the endosperm fat. Both root and shoot have a low fat content. The fatty-acid compositionof the former changes little during growth, but in the shootlinolenic acid increases proportionately during leaf expansionin the light.     

Polypeptide Composition of Envelope Membranes Isolated from Chloroplasts of C3, C4, and CAM Plants

Chloroplast envelopes were isolated from chloroplasts purifiedfrom Spinacea oleracea L. (C₃), Panicum miliaceum L. (NAD-malicenzyme-type C₁), Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (NADP-malicenzyme-type C₄), Kalanchoe daigremontiana Hamet et Perrier (constitutiveCAM), and from Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. (inducible CAM)performing either C₃ photosynthesis or Crassulacean acid metabolism(CAM). For each species, methods were developed to isolate chloroplastenvelopes free of thylakoid contamination. The polypeptidesof ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase which has been consistentlyreported in envelope preparations of spinach were not foundin envelope preparations of C₄ mesophyll chloroplasts. Silverstaining of envelope polypeptides resolved electrophoreticallyon sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gradient slab gels produceda more complex profile than did Coomassie staining which haspreviously been used with C₃ envelope preparations, even thoughsilver reacted poorly with polypeptides corresponding to thesubunits of RuBP carboxylase. All of the plants examined possesseda major polypeptide of 27 to 29 kilodaltons (kD) which was previouslysuggested to be the phosphate translocator in spinach. WithC₃ M. crystallinum, the 29 kD polypeptide stained most intensely.After induction of CAM, a 32 kD polypeptide also stained intensely,giving a profile similar to that obtained with the constitutiveCAM species. A 32 kD polypeptide was also prominent in C₄ envelopepreparations, suggesting that a 32 kD polypeptide may be a translocatorprotein which is required in Crassulacean acid metabolism andC4 photosynthesis, but not in C₃ photosynthesis. (Received April 25, 1983; Accepted July 9, 1983)     

Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Organic Acid Oscillations during Transition from CAM to C3-photosynthesis inClusia minor L. (Clusiaceae)

In species of Clusia, switching from C₃-photosynthesis (C₃-PS)to crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) may be a means of optimizingwater use, plant carbon balance and photon utilization duringperiods of stress. We ask whether, in perennial species of Clusia,the switch from CAM back to C₃-PS is also of ecophysiologicalsignificance. Our objective was to investigate the performanceof C. minor L. during a short-term shift from CAM to C₃-PS.During the transition from CAM to C₃-PS, nocturnal malate andcitrate accumulation decreased whereas CO₂uptake increased duringthe daytime. However, after 7 d, marked nocturnal accumulationof citrate and 24 h CO₂uptake occurred. In contrast to C₃-likephotosynthesis, a pronounced reduction in the effective quantumyield of photosystem II,     

Photosynthetic metabolism of 14CO2 in the process of the "glucose-bleaching" of Chlorella protothecoides

Changes in photosynthetic carbon metabolism during the glucosebleaching of Chlorella protothecoides cells were investigatedusing NaH¹⁴CO₃ as tracer. Several hours after incubating thegreen algal cells in the glucose medium in the dark, the ratesof ¹⁴C-incorporation into glucose polymers and sucrose decreasedand the incorporation into the lipid fraction (fatty acids)greatly increased. At this stage, the rate of photosynthetic¹⁴CO₂ fixation and the chlorophyll content were practicallythe same as in the starting green cells. Afterwards, the photosyntheticcapacity and chlorophyll content continued to decrease throughoutthe experimental period. In contrast, when photosynthetic ¹⁴CO₂fixation of green cells was carried out in the medium containingglucose, the rate of ¹⁴C-incorporation into glucose polymersincreased, though there was no change in the incorporationsinto sucrose and the lipid fraction. ¹Part of this investigation was reported at the Conference "ComparativeBiochemistry and Biophysics of Photosynthesis" (Japan-U.S. CooperativeScience Program) held at Hakone, Japan in 1967. ²Present address: Faculty of Agriculture, Tamagawa University,Machida-shi, Tokyo, Japan. (Received June 10, 1974; )     

Modulation of BK(Ca) channel activity by fatty acids: structural requirements and mechanism of action

To determinethe mechanism of fatty acid modulation of rabbit pulmonary arterylarge-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺(BK_Ca) channel activity, we studied effects of fatty acidsand other lipids on channel activity in excised patches withpatch-clamp techniques. The structural features of the fatty acidrequired to increase BK_Ca channel activity (or averagenumber of open channels, NP_o) were identified tobe the negatively charged head group and a sufficiently long (C > 8) carbon chain. Positively charged lipids like sphingosine, which havea sufficiently long alkyl chain (C  8), produced a decrease inNP_o. Neutral and short-chain lipids did notalter NP_o. Screening of membrane surface chargewith high-ionic-strength bathing solutions (330 mM K⁺ or130 mM K⁺, 300 mM Na⁺) did not alter themodulation of the BK_Ca channel NP_oby fatty acids and other charged lipids, indicating that channelmodulation is unlikely to be due to an alteration of the membraneelectric field or the attraction of local counterions to the channel.Fatty acids and other negatively charged lipids were able to modulate BK_Ca channel activity in bathing solutions containing 0 mMCa²⁺, 20 mM EGTA, suggesting that calcium is not requiredfor this modulation. Together, these results indicate that modulationof BK_Ca channels by fatty acids and other charged lipidsmost likely occurs by their direct interaction with the channel proteinitself or with some other channel-associated component.

     

Lipid Metabolism in the Brown Marine Algae Fucus vesiculosus and Ascophyllum nodosum

Lipid metabolism and environmental effects on this process havebeen studied in the marine brown algae Fucus vesiculosus andAscophyllum nodosum. These algae showed very similar patternsof lipid metabolism during 24 h incubations. Labelling from[1-¹⁴C]acetate showed the major labelled lipids to be the ß-alanineether lipid and the neutral lipid fraction in both algae. Ofthe glycolipids, only sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol was welllabelled and the phosphoglycerides were all poorly labelled.The major labelled fatty acids were palmitate and oleate, againin both algae, although Fucus vesiculosus also showed significantlabelling of stearate and behenate. Although the amount of fattyacid labelling increased with time, the proportion of labelin palmitate and oleate remained approximately constant. Verylong chain fatty acids (arachidic, behenic) were increasinglylabelled with time. Lowered incubation temperatures decreased labelling of the saturatedfatty acids. Cu²⁺ increased the proportion of oleate labelledin both algae, and of linoleate in Fucus vesiculosus. This cationdecreased the percentage labelling of stearate and myristatein Ascophyllum nodosum. Lipid metabolism in Ascophyllum nodosumwas more sensitive to raised Cu²⁺ levels than in Fucus vesiculosus Key words: Acyl lipid metabolism, Fucus vesiculosus, temperature effects, Ascophyllum nodosum, copper pollution