Specific activity of brain palmitoyl-CoA pool provides rates of incorporation of palmitate in brain phospholipids in awake rats

Eric Grange*, Joseph Deutsch, Quentin R. Smith, Michael Chang, Stanley I. Rapoport, A. David Purdon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

65 Scopus citations

Abstract

In vivo rates of palmitate incorporation into brain phospholipids were measured in awake rats following programmed intravenous infusion of unesterified [9,10-3H]palmitate to maintain constant plasma specific activity. Animals were killed after 2-10 min of infusion by microwave irradiation and analyzed for tracer distribution in brain phospholipid and phospholipid precursor, i.e., brain unesterified palmitate and palmitoyI- CoA, pools. [9,10-3H]Palmitate incorporation into brain phospholipids was linear with time and rapid, with >50% of brain tracer in choline-containing glycerophospholipids at 2 min of infusion. However, tracer specific activity in brain phospholipid precursor pools was low and averaged only 1.6-1.8% of plasma unesterified palmitate specific activity. Correction for brain palmitoyI-CoA specific activity increased the calculated rate of palmitate incorporation into brain phospholipids (0.52 nmol/s/g) by ~60-fold. The results suggest that palmitate incorporation and turnover in brain phospholipids are far more rapid than generally assumed and that this rapid turnover dilutes tracer specific activity in brain palmitoyl-CoA pool owing to release and recycling of unlabeled fatty acid from phospholipid breakdown.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2290-2298
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Neurochemistry
Volume65
Issue number5
StatePublished - Nov 1995
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • AcylCoA
  • Brain
  • Fatty acids
  • Palmitate incorporation
  • Phospholipid metabolism
  • Rat

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