Fatty acid synthesis from [2-14C]acetate in normal and peroxisome-deficient (Zellweger) fibroblasts

The incorporation of [2-¹⁴C]acetate into the lipids of normal and peroxisome-deficient (Zellweger's syndrome) skin fibroblasts was examined. Most of the label was incorporated into triacyglycerol fatty acids in normal as well as Zellweger's syndrome cells. Triacylglycerols and cholesteryl esters in Zellweger's syndrome cells contained increased levels of labelled saturated and monounsaturated very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA, that is fatty acids with more than 22 carbon atoms), in particular hexacosanoic (26∶0) and hexacosaenoic (26∶1) acids. As traces of labelled VLCFA with up to 32 carbon atoms were detected in triacylglycerols even in control cells it is probable that these fatty acids are formed naturally during the elongation process. Our data suggest that peroxisomes are involved in the chain shortening of the saturated and monounsaturated VLCFA.     

Studies on metabolism of linoleic-1-14C acid in testes of hypophysectomized rats

Studies are reported on the influence of hypophysectomy and pituitary gonadotrophins on the interconversion and incorporation of linoleic-1-¹⁴C acid into lipid classes of mature rat testis. Linoleic 1-¹⁴C acid was injected into the testes of mature rats 3 weeks after hypophysectomy. Groups of animals were killed at 0.25, 0.50, 1, 3, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hr after injection of the radioactive linoleic acid, and the incorporation of radio-activity into the fatty acids and lipid classes of the testicular lipids was determined. Similar experiments were carried out with hypophysectomized animals injected intramuscularly with luteinizing or follicle stimulating hormones, or both. The specific activitties of the triglyverides and phospholipids of the testicular lipid increased to a maximum ca. 1 hr after the injection of the radioactive linoleic acid, then decreased sharply. The general pattern of changes in the specific activities of these compounds indicated that the rate of fatty acid catabolism was greatly increased by hypophysectomy. In contrast, the specific activities of the cholesteryl esters and glyceryl ether diesters changed slowly after reaching a maximum at approximately the same time. This pattern, their accumulation in the lipid, and an increase in the constituent 22∶5 indicated that the turnover of these compounds was impaired by hypophysectomy. The conversion of linoleic acid to arachidonic acid was also impaired by hypophysectomy, as evidenced by an increase in the percentage and the high specific activity of 20∶3 compared to 20∶4. The administration of gonadotrophins partially prevented the effects of hypophysectomy, indicating that some of the enzymes in the testes involved in the metabolism of the lipids are hormone sensitive.     

Partial synthesis of [1-14C]phytanic acid

[1-¹⁴C] Phytanic acid has been prepared in good yield from the unlabeled acid. Pristanyl iodide, prepared from the latter by a modified Hunsdieker reaction, is converted to the corresponding [¹⁴C]-nitrile by reaction with sodium [¹⁴C] cyanide in dimethyl sulphoxide; hydrolysis of the [¹⁴C] nitrile yields [1-¹⁴C]phytanic acid. The labeled acid should prove to be a useful substrate for the diagnosis of Refsum's disease.     

Fatty acid synthesis from 2-14C-acetate in rat testis mitochondrial and cytosol fractions in vitro

An in vitro system for acetate incorporation into fatty acids by the mitochondrial and the cytosol fractions of rat testis is described. The rate of incorporation of acetate into fatty acids was twice as fast with the mitochondrial as with the cytosol fraction; both systems were stimulated in the presence of adenosine triphosphate, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, coenzyme A, and MgC1(2). The optimum pH was between 7.0-7.5 for the mitochondrial fraction and between 6.5-8.0 for the cytosol fraction. Radio gas chromatography showed that palmitic acid was the most highly labeled acid, followed by stearic acid, in the mitochondrial fraction in accord with the pathway of de novo fatty acid synthesis. Some of the labeled acetate was also incorporated into the 16:1 and 18:1 fatty acids of this fraction. Distribution of radioactivity among the mitochondrial lipid classes was highest in the phospholipids and monoglycerides, followed by diglycerides and cholesterol; little radioactivity was present in the triglyceride fraction. These observations are in accord with studies of the incorporation of labeled metabolites into testicular lipids following intratesticular injection and indicate the validity of the in vitro system for studies of specific reactions occurring in vivo.     

Intravenously injected [1-14C]arachidonic acid targets phospholipids, and [1-14C]palmitic acid targets neutral lipids in hearts of awake rats

The differential uptake and targeting of intravenously infused [1-¹⁴C]palmitic ([1-¹⁴C] 16∶0) and [1-¹⁴C]arachidonic ([1-¹⁴C]20∶4n−6) acids into heart lipid pools were determined in awake adult male rats. The fatty acid tracers were infused (170 μCi/kg) through the femoral vein at a constant rate of 0.4 mL/min over 5 min. At 10 min postinfusion, the rats were killed using pentobarbital. The hearts were rapidly removed, washed free of exogenous blood, and frozen in dry ice. Arterial blood was withdrawn over the course of the experiment to determine plasma radiotracer levels. Lipids were extracted from heart tissue using a two-phase system, and total radioactivity was measured in the nonvolatile aqueous and organic fractions. Both fatty acid tracers had similar plasma curves, but were differentially distributed into heart lipid compartments. The extent of [1-¹⁴C]20∶4n−6 esterification into heart phospholipids, primarily choline glycerophospholipids, was elevated 3.5-fold compared to [1-¹⁴C]16∶0. The unilateral incorporation coefficient, k ^*, which represents tissue radioactivity divided by the integrated plasma radioactivity for heart phospholipid, was sevenfold greater for [1-¹⁴C]20∶4n−6 than for [1-¹⁴C]16∶0. In contrast, [1-¹⁴C]16∶0 was esterified mainly into heart neutral lipids, primarily triacylglycerols (TG), and was also found in the nonvolatile aqueous compartment. Thus, in rat heart, [1-¹⁴C]20∶4n−6 was primarily targeted for esterification into phospholipids, while [1-¹⁴C]16∶0 was targeted for esterification into TG or metabolized into nonvolatile aqueous components.     

Metabolic transformation of intracraneally injected [1-14C]linoleic and [1-14C]α-linolenic acids in malnourished developing rats

The effect of a low protein diet during pregnancy and lactation on the fatty acid composition of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) from brains of ten-day-old rats was studied. The results indicated that partial deprivation of protein during early development was associated with an increase in the fatty acids of the n−9 family in PC. The fatty acids of the linoleic acid series decreased in PE but were not modified in PC. These minor changes did not affect the double bond index values either in PC or in PE. The effect of protein depletion on thein vivo metabolic transformation of intracraneally injected [1-¹⁴C]linoleic and [1-¹⁴C]α-linolenic acids was also studied. The percentage distribution of the labeled precursors and their derivatives among PC and PE differed from that of mass distribution. These results indicate that the direct uptake of polyunsaturated fatty acids from the blood and/or the low turnover rate of these acids incorporated into PC and PE might be involved in maintaining the fatty acid pattern of these brain lipids.     

氨基磺酸催化合成1-萘乙酸甲酯

研究了氨基磺酸存在下 ,1 萘乙酸和甲醇酯化合成 1 萘乙酸甲酯的优化条件和催化剂的重复使用性能。当 1 萘乙酸、甲醇和氨基磺酸的摩尔比为 1∶10∶1.0 5 ,回流反应 5h ,酯收率达 97.5 %。     

Incorporation of [1-14C] acetate into phospholipids by soybean seedlings

Incorporation of [1-¹⁴C] acetate into lipids by slices of soybean seedlings was studied. The results were as follows: (a) the greatest amount of radioactivity was detected in the phospholipid fraction prepared from the main axis; (b) in the cotyledons, radioactivity was about the same in pigment, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylglycerol; (c) phosphatidylcholine was the main phospholipid labeled in the axis; (d) the distribution of radioactive fatty acids in the axis suggested that this tissue has the capacity for both phospholipid synthesis and fatty acid desaturation.     

Lipogenesis in the developing brain from intracranially administered [1-14C] acetate and [U-14C] glucose

Fifteen-day-old rats divided into two groups were given [1-¹⁴C]acetate or [U-¹⁴C] glucose by intracranial injection and were sacrificed after 1 hr. Analysis of lipids from the two groups showed differences in the incorporation of radioactivity in the polar lipids and cholesterol. Analysis of brain fatty acid showed that whereas radioactivity from acetate was incorporated into saturated, monoand polyunsaturated fatty acids, the radioactivity from [U-¹⁴C] glucose was found only in 16∶0, 18∶0, and 18∶1. No radioactivity was found in polyunsaturated fatty acids even after concentration of this fraction by AgNO₃:SiO₂ thin layer chromatographic method. This difference is discussed in hypothetical terms of nonhomogeneous acetyl CoA pool, formation of acetyl CoA from glucose exclusively inside the mitochondria, and activation of injected acetate to acetyl CoA.     

Uptake and utilization of 1-14C palmitic acid by heart cells treated with fresh or thermally oxidized fats

The effects of fractions isolated from thermally oxidized corn oil or olive oil on the metabolic activity of heart endothelial and muscle cells were studied. Rat heart cells in culture, exposed to thermally oxidized fat components, took up more exogenous 1-¹⁴C-palmitic acid and incorporated more of it into the cell triacylglycerol fraction than when the cells were treated with fresh fats. Particularly with the heated corn oil compared to fresh corn oil, much less of the radioactivity from the labeled palmitic acid was deposited in the phospholipid fraction. Also, with heated corn oil when the incubation period was extended beyond 12 hr, there was a decline in the radioactivity retained in the triacylglycerol fraction of the heart muscle cells. When the fresh fats were compared for¹⁴C-radioactivity incorporation into the heart cells, the olive oil gave much higher values, indicating a distinct difference in response to the proportion of fatty acids supplied. Presented in part at the AOCS Meeting, Chicago, September 1976.     

Hepatic metabolism of 1-14C octanoic and 1-14C palmitic acids

The hepatic metabolism of 1⁻¹⁴C octanoic acid was compared with that of 1⁻¹⁴C palmitic acid in male rats which were fed. After intraportal injection only 1/6 to 1/18 as much octanoic acid as palmitic acid was incorporated into hepatic lipids. In contrast, octanoic acid yielded two to four times as much water-soluble product as did palmitic acid. Similar, but even more impressive, differences between the incorporation of these fatty acids into hepatic lipids were observed in liver slices incubated with¹⁴C octanoate and¹⁴C palmitate. The oxidation of octanoate to CO₂ was more than 10 times as great as that of palmitate. With both substrates, triglycerides comprised almost half the labeled lipid recovered. However octanoate yielded a higher proportion of labeled, unesterified fatty acids and a lower proportion of labeled phospholipid and monoglycerides than did palmitate. Most of the¹⁴C recovered in hepatic lipids after incubation with 1⁻¹⁴C octanoate was found in the carboxyl groups of long-chain fatty acids, suggesting that the latter had been synthesized from 2-carbon fragments formed from the oxidation of octanoate. In contrast, only a small fraction of the palmitate was elongated. The similarities and differences between the metabolism of octanoic and palmitic acid in liver and intestine, and the possible nutritional significance of octanoic acid are discussed.     

Hepatic metabolism of 1-14C octanoic and 1-14C margaric acids

The hepatic metabolism of 1-¹⁴C margaric acid, a 17 carbon long chain saturated fatty acid which is present in the liver in trace amounts, was compared with 1-¹⁴C octanoic acid and 1-¹⁴C palmitic acid to determine if the enhanced oxidation of medium chain fatty acids to CO₂ was dependent on fatty acid chain length or the endogenous pool size of the fatty acid substrate. Despite the fact that endogenous margarate is present in trace amounts, there was no significant difference in the oxidation of margarate and palmitate to CO₂, while the oxidation of octanoate to CO₂ was significantly more rapid. Both margarate and palmitate were more readily incorporated into lipid soluble products in contrast to the low rate of incorporation of octanoate. However, margarate was less readily incorporated into triglyceride, phospholipid and monoglyceride than palmitate. These studies suggest that the chain length rather than hepatic content of the fatty acid determines whether the carboxyl group of equimolar amounts of a 1-¹⁴C-carboxyl labeled fatty acid will be preferentially oxidized to CO₂ or incorporated into tissue lipid in the liver.     

Absorption and biliary secretion of intraperitoneally injected 3β-methoxycholest-5-ene-4-14C in the rat

Following ip injection of 1 mg amounts of methoxycholestene-4-¹⁴C into normal intact rats, the amount of label in the whole liver was measured at different time intervals in different animals. These studies indicated that most of the injected compound was absorbed by or before 12 hr. In bile duct-cannulated rats the secretion of label from ip injected methoxycholestene-4-¹⁴C or cholesterol-4-¹⁴C into bile was usually less during the first 24 hr than during the second 24 hr after injection. Studies on the nature of the labeled compounds in the bile following ip injection of methoxycholestene-4-¹⁴C indicate that most of the label is present in metabolites, 47% of the label in cholic acid and 31% in chenodeoxycholic acid.     

Incorporation of [1-14C] acetate into lipids of soybean cell suspensions

Suspension cultures of soybean cells incorporated [1-¹⁴C] acetate very rapidly into the fatty acid moieties of phospholipids and glycolipids when incubated at 26 C for up to 22 hr. The most rapidly labeled lipid was 3-sn-phosphatidylcholine, which contained 58% of the total fatty acid radioactivity after 16 min; more than 75% of this label was found to be in the oleic acid of the phosphatidylcholine. After longer periods of incubation, the proportion of¹⁴C label decreased exponentially in phosphatidylcholine and increased markedly in an unidentified phospholipid (tentatively,bis-phosphatidic acid), di- and triacylglycerols, and glycolipids. The proportion of radioactivity in oleic acid also decreased exponentially, accompanied by increases in linoleic acid first and then in linolenic acid. Most of the labeled linolenic acid at 22 hr was found in the unidentified phospholipid, di- and triacylglycerols, and the glycolipid fraction. Contribution no. 537, Ottawa Research Station, Agriculture Canada. A preliminary report was presented at the 20th International Conference on the Biochemistry of Lipids at Aberdeen, Scotland, September 1977.     

In vitro desaturation of 1-14C linoleic acid in Novikoff hepatoma

The lipid fatty acid pattern of normal liver, host liver, and Novikoff hepatoma was determined by gas liquid chromatography, and Δ6-desaturase activity for linoleic acid was measured in the microsomal fractions. The results showed that, in Novikoff hepatoma, there is a correlation between the low content of arachidonic acid and the low activity of Δ6-desaturase, a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of this acid.     

Fatty acid and sterol synthesis by rat small intestine in vitro

Slices of rat jejunum were incubated with [2-¹⁴C]pyruvate, [1-¹⁴C]acetate, or [³H]H₂O to determine lipogenic activity. Under all conditions studied, pyruvate acted as a better precursor than acetate for fatty acid synthesis but not for the synthesis of sterol. Exogenous glucose significantly (P≤0.05) increased the conversion of both pyruvate and acetate to fatty acids. By contrast, fasting resulted in a decrease (p≤0.05) in lipogenic activity. The highest levels of lipogenesis were observed when [³H]H₂O + glucose at a concentration of 20 mM was used. From such experiments, the absolute rate of fatty acid synthesis in the tissue preparation was calculated: 734±54 nmoles acetyl units incorporated into fatty acids/g tissue/hr.     

Metabolism of 1-14C linolenic acid in developing brain: II. Incorporation of radioactivity from 1-14C linolenate into brain lipids

Metabolism of 1-¹⁴C linolenic acid was studied in growing animals by injecting the tracer intraperitoneally into 12–13 day old suckling rats and following up the results by sacrificing groups of animals at 8 hr, 48 hr, 15 day, and 45 day intervals. In the first 15 days, there was a greater decrease in radioactivity of brain total lipids compared to the later period, although the earlier age period is characterized by lipid deposition rather than breakdown. Since the 18∶3 ω3 family of fatty acids occurs largely in the brain total phosphatidyl ethanolamine fraction, we expected that, in the initial period, total phosphatidyl ethanolamine would be the most highly radioactive component. However, results showed that 8 hr after the tracer phosphatidyl choline had the highest specific radioactivity. When the total phosphatidyl ethanolamine fraction was resolved into diacyl and alk-1-enyl species, it was found that radioactivity was not distributed evenly between the two species. There was a progressive increase in radioactivity of the alkenyl and a decrease in the diacyl species. Forty-eight hr after the tracer, however, the radioactivity of phosphatidyl ethanolamine increased and at 45 days remained slightly higher than phosphatidyl choline. Radioactivity of cholesterol, a result of synthesis from acetate undoubtedly derived from the breakdown of tracer linolenate, was also high 48 hr after tracer and remained high until 45 days.     

Differential trypsin effect upon (1-14C) acetate incorporation into choline and ethanolamine glycerophosphatides of rat brain and liver

Preincubation of rat brain and liver slices in a medium (5% glucose, 5% fructose, 1% albumin, 1% trypsin, 10 mM phosphate buffer pH 6.0) used to pretreat brain tissue for the separation of cell types was found to uncouple the incorporation of (1-¹⁴C) acetate into ethanolamine phosphoglycerides from that of the choline phosphoglycerides. Incorporation into ethanolamine phosphoglycerides was stimulated in both brain (330%) and liver (780%) slices, while the incorporation of (1-¹⁴C) acetate into choline phosphoglycerides was reduced for both brain (71%) and liver (63%) slices, compared to control values from nonpreincubated material. With (1-¹⁴C) linolenic acid as a precursor, no significant differences were found in incorporation into ethanolamine phosphoglycerides and choline phosphoglycerides.