Turn-over of phospholipids in Selenomonas ruminantium

The particulate enzyme prepared from Selenomonas ruminantium subsp. lactilytica catalyzed the formation of phosphatidylserine (PS) from CDP-diglyceride and serine, and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) from PS. This indicates that PS and PE in this organism are synthesized through a similar pathway to that in Escherichia coli. In turn-over experiments with [32P]orthophosphate and [14C]caproate, a rapid turn-over of PE was observed, while ethanolamine plasmalogen was relatively stable. The decrease of 14C-radioactivity in PE side-chains was accompanied by an increase of 14C-radioactivity in side-chains of ethanolamine plasmalogen. In pulse label-chase experiments with [32P]orthophosphate, significant amounts of 32P-radioactivities were incorporated into plasmalogens at the beginning of the chase and a precursor product relationship was observed between serine plasmalogen and ethanolamine plasmalogen. On the contrary, in pulse-label-chase experiments using [14C]caproate and [3H]glycerol, no significant radioactivity was incorporated into plasmalogens at the beginning of the chase and radioactivities in plasmalogens slowly increased during the chase. These results indicate that 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-glycerol moieties of plasmalogens are derived from a large precursor pool, but the phosphorous moiety is not. This concept was supported by the fact that synthesis of plasmalogens occurred in the absence of fatty acid synthesis. We wish to propose the possibility that 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-glycerol moieties of plasmalogens are derived from the diglyceride moieties of diacyl phospholipids.