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Phospholipids from the free-living nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans

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Lipids

Abstract

The phospholipid and the fatty chain compositions of diacyl, alkylacyl and alkenylacyl glycerophospholipids of the free-living nematode,Caenorhabditis elegans, were investigated. The phospholipids were comprised of 54.5% ethanolamine glycerophospholipid (EGP), 32.3% choline glycerophospholipid (CGP), 8.1% sphingomyelin and 5.1% others. The most abundant fatty acid in CGP was eicosapentaenoic acid (20∶5n−3). The fatty acids in CGP were more unsaturated than those in EGP. Alkenylacyl and alkylacyl subclasses accounted for 1.0 and 2.6%, respectively, of CGP and 14.0 and 19.6%, respectively, of EGP. At least 80% of the alkenyl and alkyl groups were 18∶0 chains and the remaining were odd numbered chains. The potential presence of platelet-activating factor (PAF) was examined by bioassay, but PAF-like activity was not detected in the extracts of this nematode.

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Abbreviations

CGP:

choline glycerophospholipids

EGP:

ethanolamine glycerophospholipids

GC/MS:

gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

GPC:

glycerophosphocholine

GPE:

glycerophosphoethanolamine

PAF:

platelet-activating factor

tBDMS:

tert-butyldimethylsilyl

TLC:

thin-layer chromatography

17:Δ:

cis-9,10-methylenehexadecanoic acid

19:Δ:

cis-11,12-methyleneoctadecanoid acid

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Satouchi, K., Hirano, K., Sakaguchi, M. et al. Phospholipids from the free-living nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans . Lipids 28, 837–840 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536239

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536239

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