Lipids from nerve tissues of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus.
1. The predominant lipids of nerve cords, ganglion and brain from horseshoe crabs were cholesterol (11% of lipid) and phospholipid (81% of lipid). 2. Major phospholipids were phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl choline with lesser amounts of phosphatidyl serine and phosphatidyl inositol and sphingomyelin. 3. The phospholipid fraction was characterized by a high content of plasmalogen, i.e. alk-1-enyl acyl phosphatides, so that 42% of the ethanolamine phosphatides were the plasmalogen, phosphatidal ethanolamine. 4. Phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine were high in polyunsaturation with 20:4 and 20:5 major fatty acids. Sphingomyelin had predominantly long chain saturated fatty acids. 5. Cerebrosides and gangliosides, which are associated with vertebrate nerve tissues, were absent from nerves of horseshoe crabs.
D000818:Animals; D003386:Brachyura / Q000378:metabolism*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002554:Cerebrosides / Q000032:analysis; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis; D004983:Ethanolamines / Q000032:analysis; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005724:Ganglia / Q000378:metabolism; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000032:analysis; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D009417:Nerve Tissue / Q000032:analysis*; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000032:analysis; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis
D002554:Cerebrosides; D004983:Ethanolamines; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005732:Gangliosides; D008055:Lipids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010743:Phospholipids; D002784:Cholesterol