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Title: Phosphatidylcholine synthesis in the rat: The substrate for methylation and regulation by choline

Journal Article · · Lipids; (USA)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02544327· OSTI ID:6775014
; ;  [1]
  1. National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD (USA)

Two lines of evidence led us to reexamine the possibility that methylation of phosphoethanolamine and its partially methylated derivatives, in addition to methylation of the corresponding phosphatidyl derivatives, plays a role in mammalian phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis: (a) Results obtained by Salerno and Beeler with rat appear to strongly support such a role for methylation of phosphobases; (b) Such reactions have recently been shown to play major roles in phosphatidylcholine synthesis by higher plants. We found that, following continuous labeling of rat liver with L-(methyl-3H)methionine for 10.4 min (intraperitoneal administration) or for 0.75 min (intraportal administration), virtually no 3H was detected in methylated derivatives of phosphoethanolamine, but readily detectable amounts of 3H were present in the base moiety of each methylated derivative of phosphatidylethanolamine. Thus, there was no indication that phospho-base methylation makes a significant contribution. Studies of cultured rat hepatoma cells showed definitively for the first time in a mammalian system that choline deprivation up-regulates the rate of flow of methyl groups originating in methionine into phosphatidylethanolamine and derivatives. Even under these conditions, methylation of phosphoethanolamine bases appeared to play a negligible role.

OSTI ID:
6775014
Journal Information:
Lipids; (USA), Vol. 25:3; ISSN 0024-4201
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English