Composition of lipids in elasmobranch electric organ and acetylcholine receptor membranes

ROTSTEIN, N.P.; ARIAS, H.R.; BARRANTES, F.J.; AVELDAÑO, M.I.

JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 1987 vol. 49 p. 1333 - 1340

0022-3042

The composition of phospholipids from electric organ and from membranes enriched in acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) is analyzed in three elasmobranch fish (Torpedo murmoruta, Torpedo culifornicu, and Discopyge tschudii). Irrespective of their purity, AChR-containingmembranes are similar to electric organ in lipid and fatty acid composition. The following characteristics are common to the three species: (a) Choline, ethanolamine, and serine glycerophospholipids account for 80-90% of the phospholipids. (b) Their major fatty acid constituents are monoenes, saturates, and long-chain (n-3) polyenes (especiallydocosahexaenoate). (c) A large proportion of the ethanolamine glycerophospholipids (30-50%) is made up by plasmenylethanolamine, which contains fewer polyenes than  phosphatidylethanolamine per mole of lipid. (d) Polyphosphoinositides represent 20-30% of the inositides of electric organ. (e) Phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidate have large proportions of 20- and 22-carbon polyenes. (f) Diphosphatidylglycerol and triacylglycerols are rich inoleate but also contain long-chain polyenes. (g) Sphingomyelin has monoenes and saturates ranging from 14 to 26 carbons. Species-related variations are observed (a) in theratios between some phospholipid classes and subclasses and (b) in the relative abundance of the major polyunsaturated acyl chains of phospholipids. Despite these differences, the average unsaturation and length of fatty acids in major phospholipid classes are similar for the three species.