The utilisation of yolk phosphoglycerides by the alligator during embryonic development

Summary A study was made of the concentrations and fatty acid compositions of the major phosphoglycerides in the yolk of the alligator egg on the 8th and 75th days of incubation. The major phosphoglycerides were phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine which at the start of incubation accounted for 72 and 18%, respectively, of total phosphoglyceride. Phosphoglycerides were characterised by low levels of linoleic acid but extremely high levels of C20 and C22 polyunsaturates. The extensive absorption of phosphoglyceride over the incubation period was accompanied by a reduction in percentage of phosphoglyceride within the residual yolk lipid, a reduction in the proportion of phosphatidyl choline within the total phosphoglyceride, and increases in the proportions of phosphatidyl ethanolamine and lyso-phosphatidyl choline. There were small but wide-spread changes in the fatty acid composition of the phosphatidyl choline during incubation. Within the phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl serine fractions there were very large reductions in the C20 and C22 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels. The phosphoglyceride changes are discussed with respect to the unique role of yolk lipid absorption in the nutrition of the developing embryo.     

Diacyl,Alkylacyl, and Alkenylacyl Phospholipids of Meloidogyne javanica Females

The phospholipid composition and acyl, alkyl, and alkenyl group compositions of diacyl, alkylacyl, and alkenylacyl phosphoglycerides of M. javanica were investigated. Phospholipid was comprised of 61.7% choline phosphoglyceride, 22.0% ethanolamine phosphoglyceride, and smaller quantities of six other lipids. Phospholipid fatty acid was more unsaturated than neutral lipid fatty acid and contained 61.3% octadecenoic (18:1) acid. Fatty acid at the 1-position of diacyl phospholipids was shorter and more saturated than that at the 2-position. Compared to choline phosphoglyceride, ethanolantine phosphoglyceride contained less 18:1 and 20:5 and more 18:0 and 20:0 acid. Alkenylacyl and alkylacyl compounds comprised 34.6% and 9.3%, respectively, of the ethanolamine phosphoglyceride but only 0.5% and 0.6% of the choline phosphoglyceride. Alkenylacyl and alkylacyl ethanolamine phosphoglycerides contained a smaller percentage of 20-carbon polyunsaturated acid at their 2-positions than did their diacyl analogue. At least 95% of the alkenyl and alkyl groups were 18:0 compounds. Tomato roots did not contain alkenylacyl or alkylacyl phosphoglycerides; their occurrence in M. javanica is a significant biochemical difference between the nematode and its host.     

Polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in neuroblastoma cells in culture.

Neuroblastoma cell cultures took up linoleic and linolenic acids at approximately equal rates, and incorporated them into a variety of lipid fractions, principally cellular phospholipids. Linoleic acid was preferentially incorporated into choline phosphoglycerides, while most of the radioactivity derived from linolenic acid entered ethanolamine phosphoglycerides. There was no evidence for direct transfer of fatty acids between these two phosphoglyceride fractions. When, after the addition of cytosine arabinoside, cell division was arrested, the entry of labelled fatty acids into ethanolamine and serine phosphoglycerides was reduced, suggesting that these lipids are involved in the formation of new cell membranes. In the ethanolamine phosphoglyceride fraction, phosphatidal ethanolamine (plasmalogen) was the principal acceptor for the higher polyunsaturated fatty acids of the φ 3 series. The ratio of labelled fatty acids entering ethanolamine plasmalogens to that entering ethanolamine phosphoglycerides increased following the addition of cytosine arabinoside, suggesting plasmalogens to be involved in formation of cell processes. The first step in the metabolism of both linoleic and linolenic acid was the addition of a two-carbon unit. Conversion of linoleic acid to higher polyunsaturated fatty acids was slower than the conversion of linolenic acid to its higher analogues. This contrasted with the behaviour of dissociated cultures of normal brain cells which were able to form higher analogues of linoleic and linolenic acids at nearly equal rates.     

Effect of temperature acclimatization on the fatty acid composition of goldfish intestinal lipids

1. The fatty acid composition of whole goldfish, whole-intestinal mucosa, intestinal mucosal membranes and individual phospholipids extracted from mucosal membranes were measured, fish adapted to different temperatures being used. 2. Alterations of the adaptation temperature did not noticeably affect the fatty acid composition of the whole-fish lipids, but there were marked changes in the fatty acids of lipids extracted from homogenates of goldfish intestinal mucosa. These changes were more pronounced in a membrane fraction prepared from these homogenates. Raising the adaptation temperature by 20 degrees C halved the percentage of C(20:1), C(20:4) and C(22:6) fatty acids and nearly doubled the percentage of C(18:0) and C(20:3) fatty acids recovered. 3. Choline phosphoglycerides constituted about one-half and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides about one-quarter of the total membrane phospholipids. 4. The fatty acids of choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides were more susceptible to temperature-dependent changes than were the phosphoglycerides of inositol or serine. 5. The increase in C(18:0) fatty acid that occurred in membranes of warm-adapted fish was greatest for ethanolamine phosphoglycerides, but increases also occurred in other phospholipid fractions and in membrane neutral lipids.     

Positional Distribution of Acyl and Alk-1-enyl Groups in Grey and White Matter Ethanolamine and Choline Phosphoglycerides of a Marsupial, the Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

The major phosphoglycerides in grey and white matter from the brain of the koala have been separated and examined. The major polyunsaturated fatty acids present in both the diacyl- and alk-1-enyl acylglycerophosphorylethanolamines from grey matter were 22:6 omega 3, 20:4 omega 6, and 22:4 omega 6. In both grey and white matter, 22:6 omega 3 and 20:4 omega 6 were concentrated in the 2-position of diacylglycerophosphorylethanolamines and 22:4 omega 6 in the 2-position of alk-1-enylacylglycerophosphorylethanolamines; polyunsaturated fatty acid levels were higher in diacylglycerophosphorylethanolamines. Ethanolamine phosphoglyceride fractions from grey matter were enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids compared with those from white matter. The acyl groups 18:0, 18:1, and 16:0 and their alk-1-enyl analogues were prominent in grey and white matter ethanolamine phosphoglycerides; 18:1 was dominant in white matter alk-1-enylacylglycerophosphorylethanolamines. The plasmalogen composition of ethanolamine phosphoglycerides was 55% in grey matter and 76% in white matter. Choline phosphoglycerides contained negligible plasmalogen and low polyunsaturated fatty acid levels. Diacylglycerophosphorylcholine was characterized by high levels of 16:0 and 18:1. Similar acyl group distributions were estimated in the 1-position in both grey and white matter, 16:0 being present at greater than 50%. The presence of the molecular species 18:0/22:6 omega 3 was indicated in grey matter diacylglycerophosphorylethanolamine, 18:1/18:1 in white matter alk-1-enylcylglycerophosphorylethanolamine, and 16:0/18:1 in white matter diacylglycerophosphorylcholine.     

Altered Composition of Cerebral Microvessel Membrane Phosphoglycerides from Senescent Mouse

Abstract— Phosphoglyceride and fatty acid composition was determined in the cellular membranes of isolated cerebral microvessels and brain parenchymal cells (neurons and glia) taken from 10-, 20-, and 27–30-month-old C57BL6/NNIA mice. Lipids were extracted from each fraction and the fatty acid profiles of ethanolamine, cho-line, serine, and inositol phosphoglycerides analyzed by gas chromatography. The results suggest that membrane phosphoglycerides from cerebral microvessels are significantly more affected by the aging process than are those of the brain parenchyma. Relative percentage for fatty acids in cerebral microvessels indicate an overall decline in membrane unsaturation with a concomitant elevation in the level of saturation. The decline in unsaturation is reflected primarily in the loss of precursor fatty acids for arachidonic (18:2n-6 and 20:3n-6) and docosahexaenoic (20:5n-3 and 22:5n-3) acids. Levels of arachidonic (20:4n-6) and docosahexaenoic (22:6n-3) acids in each phos-phoglyceride remained unchanged with age; however, mol% for ethanolamine plasmalogen, a major source of these fatty acids, was significantly reduced in 27–30-month-old mice. Conversely, mol% for choline phospho-glyceride increased with age. The age-related changes in fatty acid profile for microvessel membrane phosphoglycerides are reflected by increased saturation/unsaturation ratios and decreased unsaturation indices. These parameters were not affected by aging in parenchymal membranes.     

Metabolism of triacylglycerol in developing rat brain

Metabolism of triacylglycerol (TAG) in developing brain has been examined. TAG is a relatively minor fraction of brain lipid in both suckling and adult rats and cannot be accounted for as entrapped blood. When glycerol tri[1-¹⁴C]oleate and [2-³H]glycerol trioleate were simultaneously injected intracerebrally into suckling rats, both labels appeared in diacylglycerol and the major phospholipids; acyl chain label was incorporated more extensively at early time points, with choline phosphoglycerides being most actively labeled. With [1-¹⁴C]fatty acids and [2-³H] glycerol administration, the specific activity of TAG was much greater than that of the more abundant phospholipids. Although direct acyl exchange between TAG and phospholipids was not demonstrated, relationships of TAG to selective mechanisms of phosphoglyceride synthesis were indicated.Abbreviations used TAG triacylglycerol - DAG diacylcerol - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - CoA coenzyme A - BSA bovine serum albumin - TLC thin layer chromatography - DPM disintegrations per minute - ATP adenosine triphosphate - GLC gas liquid chromatography - PC choline, phosphoglyceride - PE ethanolamine phosphoglyceride - PS serine phosphoglyceride - PI inositol phosphoglyceride     

Positional and species analysis of membrane phospholipids extracted from goldfish adapted to different environmental temperatures.

1. The proportion of ethanolamine phosphoglycerides in microsomal fractions of goldfish intestine increases at low environmental temperatures. The fatty acyl composition also changes, the proportion of C22:6 and C20:4 fatty acids increasing in positions 1 and 2 and position 2 respectively. The proportion of C16:0 and C18:0 fatty acids falls in position 1 and there is an apparent switch of C18:1 and C20:1 fatty acids from position 2 to position 1. 2. The proportion of choline phosphoglycerides does not depend on the previous environmental temperature of the fish. Temperature-dependent changes in fatty acyl composition in positions 1 and 2 take place in a way similar to that described for ethanolamine phosphoglycerides, but in this case C22:6 substitution is confined to position 2. 3. Choline phosphoglycerides have been further separated into 7 different molecular species. The amounts of species 3 to 7 increase and the amount of species 2 decreases at low adaptation temperature. These changes only account for part of total change in fatty acyl composition. The remaining changes occur by chain substitution within species. 4. Present results show temperature adaptation to be highly complex, involving both quantitative and qualitative changes in different phospholipids. The possible physiological significance of these changes are discussed together with the effects these changes might have on cholesterol-phospholipid interactions.     

Development changes occurring in the lipids of ram epididymal spermatozoa plasma membrane

Ram spermatozoa were obtained from different regions (caput, corpus, and cauda) of the epididymis and their plasma membrane was removed using a nitrogen cavitation treatment (750 psi, 10 min equilibration at 4 degrees C). Membrane was recovered after sucrose gradient centrifugation and identified using 125I-succinylated concanavalin A (125I-succConA) as a surface marker. Based on fluorescein isothiocyanate-succConA (FITC-succConA) labeling and electron microscopy, cavitation removed plasma membrane from the anterior sperm head in the area overlying the acrosome. Cholesterol was the major sterol in plasma membrane, with desmosterol present in sperm entering the epididymis (caput sperm) but negligible in sperm after epididymal transit (cauda sperm). Ethanolamine and choline phosphoglycerides represented 70-80% of membrane phospholipids, with the ethanolamine fraction decreasing relative to choline phosphoglycerides during epididymal transit. The molar ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid increased in the plasma membrane during maturation. The bulk phospholipid-bound fatty acids consisted primarily of palmitoyl acyl groups (16:0) in caput sperm and docosahexaenoyl acyl groups (22:6) in cauda sperm. The choline phosphoglyceride fraction was purified and analyzed. It consisted of a mixture of ether acyl glycero-3-phosphocholine and diacyl phosphoglyceride, with the dominant acyl residue, at all stages of epididymal maturation, being 22:6 throughout epididymal transit. The significance of these findings relative to acquisition of fertilization capacity by sperm during epididymal maturation is discussed.     

1-ether-linked phosphoglycerides. Major endogenous sources of arachidonate in the human neutrophil

This study has quantitated changes in the content of labeled and unlabeled arachidonate of neutrophil phosphoglyceride classes and subclasses during cell activation with ionophore A23187. The predominant pools of endogenous arachidonate in the resting neutrophil were found in ethanolamine (68%)-, choline (19%)-, and inositol (12.0%)-containing glycerolipids. Upon stimulation, endogenous arachidonate was lost from primarily ethanolamine (PE) greater than choline (PC) greater than inositol (PI)-linked phosphoglycerides. Released leukotriene B4 and 20-hydroxyleukotriene B4 accounted for 10-35% of the total arachidonate lost from all phosphoglyceride classes. In contrast to the mass loss, ionophore induced a decrease of labeled arachidonate from primarily PC and PI. In the resting neutrophil, 66% of the total arachidonate in PC was found in the 1-alkyl-linked fraction. Furthermore, loss of endogenous arachidonate from 1-alkyl-2-arachidonoyl sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine accounted for 62% of the decrease of arachidonate from choline-linked phosphoglycerides. In contrast, 60% of the release of labeled arachidonate from PC subclasses originated from 1-acyl molecular species. 1-Alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-PE contained 71% of the arachidonate in ethanolamine-linked phosphoglycerides and was the major PE subclass which was degraded during neutrophil activation with ionophore A23187. These findings demonstrate that human neutrophils contain large ether-linked stores of arachidonate and the capacity to mobilize these stores. In addition, this study points out major discrepancies between using mass or label to determine sources of arachidonate for eicosanoids.     

CHANGES IN LIPID CONCENTRATIONS AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITIONS IN RAT CEREBRUM DURING MATURATION

Abstract— Rat cerebrum was analysed at 20 different ages from birth to 45 days of age, for its concentration of protein, cholesterol, cerebrosides, phospholipids and gangliosides, and for the concentration of fatty acids of the linoleic and linolenic acid series. The fatty acid patterns of choline phosphoglycerides and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides were determined at the same ages. Phases of rapid accretion were found for protein, phospholipids, gangliosides and cholesterol. The accretion of the fatty acids of the linoleic acid series ceased at 20 days of age, while that of the fatty acids of the linolenic acid series continued. The fatty acid composition of the phosphoglycerides changed during the maturation of rat cerebrum and these changes consisted of chain elongation, increased unsaturation and variation in the pattern of the polyenoic acids. These changes varied irregularly with age and each developmental stage had characteristic fatty acid patterns of choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides.     

Effects of dietary lipids on behaviour, lipid biosynthesis and lipid composition, in rat platelets

Rats of either sex were fed for 18 and 34 weeks respectively diets containing 40% (by weight) lipids with polyunsaturated fatty acids representing 1.34% or 13.2% of total calories. Platelet reactivity to thrombin, platelet fatty acid composition and incorporation of [14C]acetate into platelet lipids were investigated. Diets rich in saturated fatty acids markedly increased platelet sensitivity to thrombin. The concentration of 20:3 and 22:3 of the (n - 9) series and of 20:3 and 22:5 of the (n - 6) series were increased at the expense of 18:2 and 22:4 of the (n - 6) family in platelet lipids. 20:4 (n - 6) was unchanged. The fatty acid changes were more pronounced in male rats and after 34 weeks. [14C]Acetate incorporation into total platelet lipids and particularly into choline phosphoglycerides and ceramides was lower in animals fed saturated fats. This diet reduced the synthesis of 16:0 and of 22:4(n - 6) in platelet total fatty acids, while that of 22:3(n - 9) was markedly enhanced. This study showed that long-term feeding of high-saturated-low-polyunsaturated fat diets in rats induced marked changes in platelet lipid synthesis and composition, in both sexes. The lipid synthesis modification appears to be more pronounced in males than in females. The changes in the fatty acids 20:3(n - 9), 22:3(n - 9) and 22:4(n - 6) appeared to be closely related to platelet behaviour. The balance between the content and synthesis of these last fatty acids might be of significance for the effect of diet on thrombogenesis.     

Skeletal muscle lipids. II. Changes in phospholipid composition in man from fetal to middle age

Phospholipid compositions were determined in samples of gastrocnemius muscles of individuals from fetal stage to the age of 55 yr. The lipids were separated by thin-layer chromatography. In order to enable characterization of the individual phospholipids, a lipid extract was prepared from pooled samples of gastrocnemius muscles from adult males and separated by ion-exchange chromatography on TEAE-cellulose. The individual phosphoglycerides were purified by thin-layer chromatography and then characterized according to their content of fatty acids, aldehydes, phosphorus, and the identity of the bases. The relative amounts of the major phospholipids, choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides, changed little with age, and in adult males they constituted 47% and 24%, respectively. Cardiolipin increased from 3% in the fetal stage to 9% by the end of the first year of life. Sphingomyelin and serine phosphoglyceride decreased with increasing age, while inositol phosphoglyceride increased. In adult males, cardiolipin constituted 10% of total lipid phosphorus, inositol phosphoglyceride constituted 9%, serine phosphoglyceride 3%, and sphingomyelin 7%.     

Membrane lipids of human peripheral nerve and spinal cord.

Major membrane lipids were determined in specimens of human peripheral nerve (cauda equina) and spinal cord of 10 subjects aged 20-70 years. The same lipids were also assayed in myelin from the same tissues isolated with two different procedures and in myelin of cauda equina from 3 subjects aged 17-91 years isolated with a third method. The concentrations (mean and standard deviation) of phospholipids were 90 +/- 11 and 96 +/- 9 nmol/g fresh weight; of cholesterol 70 +/- 15 and 101 +/- 16; of cerebroside 19 +/- 3 and 41 +/- 7; of sulfatide 10 +/- 1 and 11 +/- l; and of gangliosides 0.80 +/- 0.08 and 0.40 +/- 0.05 N in cauda equina and spinal cord, respectively. The proportion of ethanolamine phosphoglyceride was lower and that of sphingomyelin higher in cauda equina than in spinal cord. The myelin of peripheral nerve and spinal cord contained almost the same proportions of lipids as the whole tissue. The protein-bound sialic acid content was 3-fold higher than the lipid-bound sialic acid content in cauda myelin. The fatty acid patterns of choline, ethanolamine, inositol and serine phosphoglycerides of spinal cord and its myelin, were very similar to those of cerebral white matter, while the phosphoglycerides of cauda equina had higher proportions of monoenoic acids and lower proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acid patterns of sphingomyelin, cerebroside and sulfatide of spinal cord were similar to those of cerebral white matter, while those of cauda equina contained significantly more saturated fatty acids. This suggests that the lipid and fatty acid compositions of peripheral nerve are particularly suitable for the formation of a tightly packed myelin membrane which can be a powerful shield against infections and other injuries.     

The thrombin-dependent enrichment of alkenylacyl ethanolamine phosphoglyceride with [14C]eicosapentaenoic and [3H]arachidonic acids in prelabelled human platelets

The thrombin-dependent enrichment of alkenylacyl ethanolamine phosphoglyceride in [14C]eicosapentaenoic acid [( 14C]EPA) was demonstrated and compared with [3H]arachidonic acid [( 3H]AA) following the simultaneous prelabelling of individual human platelet phospholipids with these two fatty acids. The alkenylacyl, diacyl, and alkylacyl classes of ethanolamine phosphoglycerides (PE) were separated by thin-layer chromatography as their acetylated derivatives after hydrolysis of the parent phospholipid with phospholipase C. The ratios of [3H]/[14C] for the increased radioactivity appearing in alkenylacyl PE following 60 and 120 s of thrombin stimulation were the same as the corresponding ratio (2.0) found in the choline phosphoglycerides (PC) from control (unstimulated) platelets. These results suggest no significant selectivity between EPA and AA in the thrombin-stimulated transfer of these fatty acids from diacyl PC to alkenylacyl PE. The present findings may possibly bear some relevance to the altered platelet reactivity and (or) decreased thromboxane A2 formation observed in human subjects following the ingestion of marine lipid containing EPA.     

Altered acyl chain compositions of alkylacyl, alkenylacyl, and diacyl subclasses of choline and ethanolamine glycerophospholipids in rat heart by dietary fish oil

The effects of dietary fish oil containing n - 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the fatty acid compositions of the alkylacyl and alkenylacyl species of choline glycerophospholipids (CGP) and ethanolamine glycerophospholipids (EGP) were studied in rat heart and compared with the corresponding diacylglycerophospholipids. After a 7 week feeding period, all phospholipid classes from the fish oil group exhibited much higher levels of the n - 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids including eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5(n - 30)), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5(n - 3)) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6(n - 3)), as well as lower levels of the n - 6 series (18:2, 20:4, 22:4 and 22:5), relative to animals given sunflower seed oil-enriched in 18:2(n - 6). However, the docosahexaenoic acid rather than eicosapentaenoic acid provided a much greater contribution to the n - 3 accumulation (fish oil group) in the ether-containing CGP, as indicated by the 20:5(n - 3)/22:6(n - 3) molar ratios of 0.32, 0.26 and 0.56 in the alkylacyl, alkenylacyl and diacyl classes, respectively. In addition to accumulating very high levels of docosahexaenoic acid (e.g., 47.2 mol% of fatty acids in alkenylacylglycerophosphoethanolamine of fish oil group), both ether-linked classes of EGP exhibited significantly higher levels of docosapentaenoic acid than the diacylglycerophosphoethanolamine (GPE) and all classes of CGP. These findings may bear relevance to possible beneficial effects of dietary fish oil on pathophysiological states (including myocardial ischemia) in cardiac tissue and their mediation via platelet-activating factor, 1-alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine (PAF) and arachidonic acid (20:4(n - 6))-derived eicosanoids.     

22-Carbon polyenoic acids. Incorporation into platelet phospholipids and the synthesis of these acids from 20-carbon polyenoic acid precursors by intact platelets

The types of unsaturated fatty acids found in platelet phospholipids must be regulated by a series of controls which include specificity for activation and acylation as well as modification of circulating fatty acids by platelets prior to incubation into phospholipids. In this study we show that washed human platelets not only incorporate [1-14C]6,9,12-18:3, [1-14C]6,9,12,15-18:4, [1-14C]5,8,11-20:3, [1-14C]5,8,11,14-20:4, and [1-14C]5,8,11,14,17-20:5 into their phospholipids but also chain elongate each of these acids with subsequent acylation of the chain elongated products into phospholipids. Platelets incubated alone with 1-14C-labeled 5,8,11-20:3, 5,8,11,14-20:4, 5,8,11,14,17-20:5, 7,10,13,16,19-22:5, or 4,7,10,13,16,19-22:6 incorporated each of these acids into individual phosphoglycerides with phosphatidylinositol having the highest specific activity followed by phosphatidylcholine with phosphatidylserine approximately equal to phosphatidylethanolamine. The incorporation specificity of 4,7,10,13,16,19-22:6 was atypical since it was a relatively poor substrate for acylation into all phospholipids except phosphatidylethanolamine. The 20-carbon acids were better substrates for incorporation into phospholipids than were the 22-carbon compounds. Simultaneous incubation of 10 microM [1-14C]5,8,11,14-20:4 with increasing levels (5 to 15 microM) of each of the above five other 1-14C-labeled acids showed a concentration-dependent increase in the amount of the second fatty acid incorporated into platelet phospholipids. Dietary fat modification thus has the potential of increasing the plasma pool of 22-carbon acids for incorporation into platelets. In addition the activation of 20-carbon eicosanoid precursors by the high affinity platelet activating enzyme (Wilson, D. B., Prescott, S. M. and Majerus, P. W. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 3510-3515) will yield an acyl-CoA for both acylation and chain elongation followed by subsequent incorporation of 22-carbon acids into phosphoglycerides.     

CHANGES IN ACYL GROUP COMPOSITION OF DIACYL-GLYCEROPHOSPHORYLETHANOLAMINE, ALKENYLACYL-GLYCEROPHOSPHORYLETHANOLAMINE AND DIACYL-GLYCEROPHOSPHORYLCHOLINE IN MYELIN AND MICROSOMAL FRACTIONS OF MOUSE BRAIN DURING DEVELOPMENT

—Age-related changes in acyl group composition of diacyl-glycerophosphorylethanolamine (GPE), alkenylacyl-GPE and diacyl-glycerophosphorylcholine (GPC) were examined in myelin and microsomal fractions of mouse brain during development. In general, the phosphoglycerides in the myelin fraction showed an increase in the proportions of 18:1 and 20:1 and a decrease in the proportions of 16:0, 20:4(n-6) and 22:6(n-3) with increasing age. These changes were especially obvious with the acyl groups of alkenylacyl-GPE. The acyl group profiles of phosphoglycerides in the microsomal fraction were different from those in the myelin fraction. During development, there was an increase in 22:6 and a decrease in 20:4 in the phosphoglycerides of microsomes. These changes were especially obvious with the diacyl-GPE. Starting from 2 weeks of age, there was also an increase in the proportions of 18:1 and 20:1 in alkenylacyl-GPE in the microsomal fraction but this change was not as dramatic as that in the myelin fraction. In general, the acyl groups of diacyl-GPC in both myelin and microsomal fractions showed only little age-related changes as compared to the ethanolamine phosphoglycerides. Results suggest an induction in the synthesis of monoenoic fatty acids in brain during development. The monoenoic fatty acids synthesized during this period are rapidly and preferentially incorporated into the ethanolamine plasmalogen for further utilization in synthesis of the myelin membranes.     

Fatty acid distribution of the normal sciatic nerve lipids in the rat

We isolated and purified the main lipids of the rat sciatic nerve. After methanolysis, fatty acids were isolated and purified by thin layer chromatography, and studied by gas chromatography. C 16 and C 18 fatty acids are the most abundant. Among the long-chain fatty acids, arachidonic acid (20:4) is present in some lipids; highly desaturated fatty acids in C 22 and C 24 are also present. In general, the fatty acids are highly saturated; cholesterol esters and ethanolamine phosphoglyceride fatty acids are highly unsaturated.     

Changes in phospholipid composition during the development of Dictyostelium discoideum

The phospholipid composition of Dictyostelium discoideum cells was determined at various stages of development by two-dimensional, thin-layer chromatography and reaction thin-layer chromatography. Major phospholipids of D. discoideum which were detectable throughout all stages of development were ethanolamine phosphoglyceride and choline phosphoglyceride. Ethanolamine phosphoglyceride and choline phosphoglyceride were found as their plasmalogen forms at 45–58 and 10–24%, respectively. There were no qualitative changes in phospholipid composition during the development, but quantitative changes did occur. The relative content of ethanolamine phosphoglyceride in the total phospholipids gradually decreased from 60% at the vegetative stage to 44% at the 1-day-sorocarp stage. In contrast, choline phosphoglyceride gradually increased from 27% at the vegetative stage to 48% at the preculmination stage, and then gradually decreased to 43% during the culmination. The decrease in ethanolamine phosphoglyceride content during the middle and late development was due mainly to the decreased amount of its plasmalogen form but the increase of choline phosphoglyceride was independent of quantitative changes of its plasmalogen form. Other minor components of phospholipid did not show significant changes in their levels. The causes of these changes in contents of ethanolamine phosphoglyceride and choline phosphoglyceride were examined by label and chase experiments with [³H]ethanolamine and [¹⁴C]choline. It seems that one-third to one-half of the increased amount of choline phosphoglyceride was due to stepwise methylation of ethanolamine phosphoglyceride, and the remaining two-thirds to one-half was caused by de novo synthesis of choline phosphoglyceride from CDP-choline and diglyceride.