Investigation of phospholipid changes in actively metabolizing by high-performance liquid chromatography of...

A high-performance liquid chromatographic system was employed to study turnover rates of phospholipids in various types of cells, such as leukocytes, erythrocytes and yeast cells. In the extracts obtained from 32P-labelled cells ten to twelve different phospholipids could be identified. Phosphatidyl glycerol and other minor phospholipids show a high specific activity, so that the lipids may be readily detected. The reproducibility and sensitivity of the method permits the determination of lipid changes during nutrient uptake, phagocytosis, or other cellular activities.