THE INCORPORATION OF PALMITATE-1-14C BY RAT LUNG IN VITRO

Abstract

The incorporation of palmitate-1-¹⁴C into various lipid fractions was studied in rat lung in vitro. Most of the radioactivity was found in phospholipid, although in terms of decreasing specific activity the lipids were ranked: free fatty acid (FFA), glycerides, phospholipid. In addition to the usual glycerophosphatides, rat lung contained a substance with some of the chromatographic characteristics of phosphatidyl dimethylethanolamine. In terms of decreasing specific activities the phospholipids were ranked: phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl dimethylethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine plus phosphatidyl inositol, sphingomyelin plus lysophosphatidyl choline. Inhibition of oxidative energy production by hypoxia, cyanide, or low temperature markedly depressed the esterification of palmitate-1-¹⁴C. Less marked depression was observed in the absence of exogenous glucose. In all cases the decreased incorporation was associated with an increase in the total and specific radioactivity in tissue FFA. It is concluded that energy-independent exchange reactions are probably of little importance in the incorporation of FFA into esterified lipids of lung tissue. Under conditions of metabolic inhibition the penetration of labelled FFA into the tissue FFA pool does not appear to limit esterification.