Oil biosynthesis in microsomal membrane preparations from Mortierella alpina
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Updated: Oct 9, 2026

A Lipid Extraction and Analysis Method for Characterizing Soil Microbes in Experiments with Many Samples
Published on: July 16, 2017
S Chatrattanakunchai1, T Fraser, K Stobart
1School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK.
Abstract:
Microsomal membrane preparations from Mortierella alpina catalysed the conversion of sn-glycerol 3-phosphate and [(14)C]oleoyl-CoA to radioactive phosphatidic acid, diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol. Experiments with lysophosphatidic acid and [(14)C]oleoyl-CoA gave a similar pattern of radioactivity in the complex lipids. The specific activity of lysophosphatidate acyltransferase was almost eight times greater than sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, indicating that the first acylation step was limiting in oil assembly in the microsomal membranes. Little conversion of radioactive oleate into phosphatidylcholine occurred, suggesting that triacylglycerol assembly and its relationship to phosphatidylcholine metabolism differed to that found in oilseeds.
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