Lipids in an intertidal polychaete and their relation to maturation of the worm

Abstract

1. 1. Lipids in coelomic fluid (CF), body wall (BW) and gut from immature female, immature male, mature female and mature male Nereis virens, and from immature animals starved 7, 14 and 21 weeks, were extracted in chloroform/methanol and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). 2. 2. The results showed that triglycerides, alkenyl glyceryl ether diesters and alkyl glyceryl ether diesters function as depot lipids and are depleted from tissues of the worm during both maturation and starvation. Triglycerides, glyceryl ether diesters, sterol and polar lipids were present in major proportions in CF and BW from immature animals, and in ripe eggs. 3. 3. Gut from immature animals contained major proportions of triglycerides, sterol and polar lipids, but only traces of glyceryl ether diesters. 4. 4. Body wall, gut and ripe sperm from mature animals contained only polar lipids and sterol—triglycerides and glyceryl ether diesters were absent. 5. 5. In starved animals, triglycerides, alkenyl and alkyl glyceryl ether diesters decreased progressively with time. 6. 6. Long-term lipid stores seemed to be located within the body wall of Nereis virens. 7. 7. Alkenyl and alkyl glyceryl ether diesters were most abundant in Nereis virens eggs, and it is suggested they may affect the buoyancy of ripe eggs. 8. 8. Both neutral lipids and polar lipids were extremely susceptible to hydrolysis, and it is suggested that N. virens has very active lipases and may utilize free fatty acids as basic energy substrates.