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Glyceryl ethers in insects: Biosynthesis of ethanolamine phosphoglycerides containing alkyl and alk‐1‐enyl glyceryl ether linkages
Author(s) -
Lambremont Edward N.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
lipids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1558-9307
pISSN - 0024-4201
DOI - 10.1007/bf02533019
Subject(s) - chemistry , ethanolamine , ether , organic chemistry , alkyl , acylation , fatty alcohol , ethanolamines , catalysis
When 14 C‐labeled acetate, fatty acids or fatty alcohols were injected into or fed to the tobacco budworm, acyl, alkyl and alk‐1‐enyl moieties of the phospholipids incorporated radioactivity. Fatty acids were the principal precursor in acyl bond formation and fatty alcohols in the synthesis of alkyl and alk‐1‐enyl glyceryl ethers. Detailed analysis of the etherlinked phosphoglycerides revealed that most of the radioactivity was in the ethanolamine phosphoglycerides, and very little 14 C was found in the choline phosphoglycerides. In experiments of a short duration, the alkyl glyceryl ethers incorporated more radioactivity than the alk‐1‐enyl glyceryl ethers. The reverse was found with long term experiments, when the alk‐1‐enyl ethers had higher radioactivity. In addition to demonstrating the synthesis of ether‐linked ethanolamine phosphoglycerides, the data suggested that fatty alcohols and acids were interconverted by insects and that the alk‐1‐enyl ethers were derived from the alkyl ethers.