Phosphatidal ethanolamine

Plasmalogens are ether glycerophospholipids in which the alkyl moiety is d5-a,/3-unsaturated (Figure 8.10). Common plasmalogen head groups include choline, ethanolamine, and serine. These lipids are referred to as phosphati-dal choline, phosphatidal ethanolamine, and phosphatidal serine. 

The magnitude of the conversion of serine to ethanolamine appears to be quite high. This is extremely interesting in view of the fact that it has not been possible to demonstrate the presem e of an active serine decarboxylase in mammalian tissues. In the experiment of Stetten, 2.6% of the ethanolamine in the phosphatides of the liver of his animals was formed from the isotopic serine in eight days. Since the serine in the phosphatides showed a 6 % incorporation of the label, he reasoned that if the serine decarboxylated had the same isotopic concentration, the actual ethanolamine synthesized was 100(2.6/6.0), or 43% of the total phosphatide ethanolamine. This figure probably is high, as the dilution would not be expected to be complete throughout the decarboxylation process. 

The principal plasmalogen of brain contains ethanolamine rather than choline. The work of Rapport and associates (Rapport et al. 1957, Rapport and Franzl 1957 b) indicates that the structure of this compound is analogous to that previously described for choline plasmalogen, i.e. phosphatidal ethanolamine (X). 

Lecithin. Lecithin [8002-43-5] (qv) is a mixture of fat-like compounds that includes phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamines, inositol phosphatides, and other compounds (37). Commercial lecithin was originally obtained from egg yolks, but is now extracted from soybean oil. Lecithin is used in many products, including margarine, chocolate, ice cream, cake batter, and bread. 

Fig. 1. Chemical stmcture of phosphatidylcholine (PC) (1) and other related phosphohpids. R C O represents fatty acid residues. The choline fragment may be replaced by other moieties such as ethanolamine (2) to give phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), inositol (3) to give phosphatidylinositol (PI), serine (4), or glycerol (5). IfH replaces choline, the compound is phosphatidic acid (6). The corresponding lUPAC-lUB names ate (1), l,2-diacyl-t -glyceto(3)phosphocholine (2), l,2-diacyl-t -glyceto(3)phosphoethanolamine (3), 1,2-diacyl-t -glyceto(3)phosphoinositol (4), 1,2-diacyl-t -glyceto(3)phospho-L-serine and (5), l,2-diacyl-t -glyceto(3)phospho(3)-t -glycetol.

Phosphatidic acid Phosphatidylcholine Phosphatidyl- ethanolamine Phosphatidylserine... 

Triacylglycerols and some phosphoglycerols are synthesized by progressive acylation of glycerol 3-phosphate. The pathway bifurcates at phosphatidate, forming inositol phospholipids and cardiolipin on the one hand and triacylglycerol and choline and ethanolamine phospholipids on the other. 

Soya lecithin is a natural product which contains about 34% glycerides (soya oil), 5% sugars, and 61% phosphatides. The phosphatides in turn are comprised of phosphatidyl choline, i.e., chemical lecithin (20%), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (20%), and phosphatidyl inositol (21%). 

Analogues of phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl choline, and phosphatidic acid with pantoic acid skeleton were prepared by phosphorylation with the respective phosphoric mono-, bis-, and tristriazolide [17]... 

Protein and lipid figures in percentage dry weight all others in percentage total lipid weight. Tlasinalogens are primarily ethanolamine phosphatides. 

Phosphatidic acid Phosphatidyl ethanolamine Phosphatidyl serine Phosphatidyl choline Phosphatidyl inositol Sphingomyelin. 

The simplest of the glycerophospholipids is phosphatidic acid, in which phosphate is linked to the third hydroxyl function, forming a phosphate ester. More complex glycerophospholipids are derivatives of phosphatidic acid in which one of several groups is attached commonly choline, ethanolamine, serine, or myo-inositol. Structures are collected in table 19.1. 

The other phospholipids can be derived from phosphatidates (residue = phosphatidyl). Their phosphate residues are esterified with the hydroxyl group of an amino alcohol choline, ethanolamine, or serine) or with the cyclohexane derivative myo-inositol. Phosphatidylcholine is shown here as an example of this type of compound. When two phosphatidyl residues are linked with one glycerol, the result is cardiolipin (not shown), a phospholipid that is characteristic of the inner mitochondrial membrane. Lysophospholipids arise from phospholipids by enzymatic cleavage of an acyl residue. The hemolytic effect of bee and snake venoms is due in part to this reaction. 

Phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) is the most abundant phospholipid in membranes. Phosphatidylethanolamine (cephalin) has an ethanolamine residue instead of choline, and phosphatidylserine has a serine residue. In phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidate is esterified with the sugarlike cyclic polyalcohol myo-inositol. A doubly phosphorylated derivative of this phospholipid, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, is a special component of membranes, which, by enzymatic cleavage, can give rise to two second messengers, diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol l,4,5trisphosphate (InsPsi see p.386). 

Transfer of a phosphocholine residue to the free OH group gives rise to phosphatidylcholine (lecithin enzyme l-alkyl-2-acetyl-glycerolcholine phosphotransferase 2.7.8.16). The phosphocholine residue is derived from the precursor CDP-choline (see p. 110). Phos-phatidylethanolamine is similarly formed from CDP-ethanolamine and DAG. By contrast, phosphatidylserine is derived from phosphatidylethanolamine by an exchange of the amino alcohol. Further reactions serve to interconvert the phospholipids—e.g., phosphatidylserine can be converted into phosphatidylethanolamine by decarboxylation, and the latter can then be converted into phosphatidylcholine by methylation with S-adenosyl methionine (not shown see also p. 409). The biosynthesis of phosphatidylino-sitol starts from phosphatidate rather than DAG. 

The ozonides of choline and ethanolamine phosphatides subjected to reduction with PhsP yield the corresponding core aldehydes. After hydrolysis with phospholipase C to eliminate the polar group and silylation with trimethylsilyl chloride, the core aldehydes can be determined by GLC-FID using temperature programming to high temperatures . ... 

The ozonides of choline and ethanolamine phosphatides and triglycerides can be subjected to reduction with triphenylphosphine to yield the corresponding core aldehydes, and further derivatized to the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones (DNP). The core aldehydes and their DNP derivatives can be separated by HPLC and characterized by various techniques, including EI-MS and TS-MS of positive and negative ions . See also Section VHI.E. 

Ethanolamine, pKa value of 99 Ethanolamine ammonia-lyase 871 Ether lipids 382 Ether phosphatides 383s Ethidium 223s Ethidium bromide 221, 222 Ethylenediamine, binding constants to metal ions 311... 

Synthesis of most phospholipids starts from glycerol-3-phosphate, which is formed in one step from the central metabolic pathways, and acyl-CoA, which arises in one step from activation of a fatty acid. In two acylation steps the key compound phosphatidic acid is formed. This can be converted to many other lipid compounds as well as CDP-diacylglycerol, which is a key branchpoint intermediate that can be converted to other lipids. Distinct routes to phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine are found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The pathway found in eukaryotes starts with transport across the plasma membrane of ethanolamine and/or choline. The modified derivatives of these compounds are directly condensed with diacylglycerol to form the corresponding membrane lipids. Modification of the head-groups or tail-groups on preformed lipids is a common reaction. For example, the ethanolamine of the head-group in phosphatidylethanolamine can be replaced in one step by serine or modified in 3 steps to choline. 

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