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Regulation of Hepatic Phospholipid N-Methylation

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Membrane Fluidity

Part of the book series: Biomembranes ((B,volume 12))

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Abstract

The biosynthesis of the major membrane phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), operates via several pathways. The interplay between different reactions is further complicated by the fact that molecular species within each phospholipid class are formed via different routes in a characteristic manner (Åkesson and Sundler, 1977). For several reasons this biosynthetic machinery has been studied extensively in liver. This organ produces phospholipids for the bile and several lipo-protein classes. Thus, the liver has an active phospholipid turnover in a wide variety of pathways. Phospholipid N-methylation was first demonstrated in rat liver by Bremer et al. (1960). Björnstad and Bremer (1966) found that phospholipid methylation was of quantitative importance in liver (see Fig. 1) but not in other organs. The interesting studies of Hirata and Axelrod (1980) have recently stimulated further research on this reaction also in ex-trahepatic tissues.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden

    Björn Åkesson

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  1. Björn Åkesson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Morris Kates

  2. The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Lionel A. Manson

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© 1984 Plenum Press, New York

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Åkesson, B. (1984). Regulation of Hepatic Phospholipid N-Methylation. In: Kates, M., Manson, L.A. (eds) Membrane Fluidity. Biomembranes, vol 12. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4667-8_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4667-8_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

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