METABOLISM OF EHRLICH ASCITES TUMOR IN VITRO: SUBCELLULAR DISTRIBUTION OF PHOSPHOLIPIDS NEWLY FORMED FROM14C-LABELED PRECURSORS

Abstract

When Ehrlich ascites cells were incubated in a suitable medium containing choline-1,2-14C, ethanolamine-1,2-14C, L-serine-14C, or glycerol-1-14C, radioactivity was recovered from the lipid fraction. With choline-1,2-14C, radioactivity was incorporated into the three choline-containing phospholipids, lecithin, choline plasmalogen, and sphingomyelin. Radioactivity from ethanolamine-1,2-14C was incorporated into phosphatidyl ethanolamine, ethanolamine plasmalogen, choline plasmalogen, and lecithin. Radioactivity from L-serine-14C was incorporated into phosphatidyl serine, serine plasmalogen, and phosphatide acid, with lesser amounts into phosphatidyl ethanolamine, lecithin, ethanolamine plasmalogen, choline plasmalogen, and sphingomyelin. Radioactivity from glycerol-1-14C was incorporated into the glycerophosphatides, phosphatidic acid, lecithin, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl inositol, and choline plasmalogen. Radioactivity from this precursor was also incorporated into sphingomyelin.In all instances, radioactivity was recovered from the phosphatides in the nuclear, mitochondrial, and microsomal fractions of the tumor. Usually, the specific radioactivity of the phosphatides in the microsomal fraction exceeded that in the other two subcellular fractions.