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Palmitic acid and its role in the structure and functions of plant cell membranes

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Abstract

The content of palmitic acid (PA) in the fractions of plant lipids of different polarity were investigated. The following relationship was revealed: when polarity of lipid fraction rose, the content of PA in total fatty acids of this fraction increased. It was shown that in a number of consecutive extracts of total lipids isolated from plant tissue with the same solvent each next extract containing more tightly bound lipids carries more PA. Predominance of this fatty acid within high-polar lipids that may be compared to annular lipids and are indispensable for operation of numerous enzymatic systems are discussed. A considerable quantity of PA was shown in wheat mitochondrial membranes; under cold stress, its level rose even higher. Among phospholipids, the greatest content of PA is usually associated with phosphatidyl inositols, while that among glycolipids is with sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerols.

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Abbreviations

DAG:

diacyl glycerols

DGDG:

digalactosyl diacylglycerols

DPG:

diphosphatidyl glycerols

FA:

fatty acids

FFA:

free fatty acids

GL:

glycolipids

HPL:

high-polar lipids

LPC:

lysophosphatidyl cholines

MAG:

monoacyl glycerols

MGDG:

monogalactosyl diacylglycerols

NL:

neutral lipids

PA:

palmitic acid

PC:

phosphatidylcholines

PE:

phosphatidyl ethanolamines

PI:

phosphatidyl inositols

PG:

phosphatidyl glycerols

PGL:

phytoglycolipids

PhL:

phospholipids

PL:

polar lipids

PS:

phosphatidyl serines

SFA:

saturated fatty acids

SQDG:

sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerols

TAG:

triacyl glycerols

UFA:

unsaturated fatty acids

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  1. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Botanicheskaya 35, Moscow, 127276, Russia

    A. V. Zhukov

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  1. A. V. Zhukov
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Correspondence to A. V. Zhukov.

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Original Russian Text © A.V. Zhukov, 2015, published in Fiziologiya Rastenii, 2015, Vol. 62, No. 5, pp. 751–760.

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Zhukov, A.V. Palmitic acid and its role in the structure and functions of plant cell membranes. Russ J Plant Physiol 62, 706–713 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1021443715050192

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