Phospholipid synthesis by chick retinal microsomes: fatty acid preference and effect of fatty acid binding protein

The acylation of 1-palmitoyl-sn-glycerophosphocholine (1-16:0-GPC) or 1-palmitoyl-sn-glycerophosphoethanolamine (1-16:0-GPE) was measured using the microsomal fraction prepared from retinas of 14-15-day-old chick embryos. Rates of incorporation of exogenously supplied fatty acids into diacyl-GPC were generally 5-7 times greater than into diacyl-GPE. Substrate preferences for incorporation into diacyl-GPC and diacyl-GPE were, respectively, 18:2 greater than 18:3 = 20:5 greater than 20:4 greater than 18:1 greater than 22:6 = 18:0 and 18:2 greater than 22:6 greater than or equal to 18:3 = 18:0 greater than or equal to 20:4 = 18:1 greater than 20:5. The apparent selectivities were not consistent with the reported fatty acid compositions of these lipid classes. The addition of partially purified fatty acid binding protein (FABP) to the reaction had no effect either on overall rates of incorporation or on the substrate preference. When fatty acyl-CoA substrates were used, rates of incorporation of the 18:0 derivative were much higher than with the fatty acid, while rates with other fatty acyl-CoA were similar to those with the respective fatty acid. Substrate preferences for CoA derivatives incorporated into diacyl-GPC were: 18:0 greater than 20:4 greater than 18:2 greater than or equal to 22:6, and into diacyl-GPE: 20:4 = 22:6 greater than 18:0 greater than 18:2. Polyunsaturated fatty acyl CoA (PUFA-CoA) were thus favored for incorporation into diacyl-GPE, and to a lesser extent into diacyl-GPC, a result that is consistent with composition data.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)