Effect of an essential fatty acid deficiency on the phospholipid composition in anterior pituitary membranes.
The effects of an essential fatty acid deficient diet were investigated on the phospholipid fatty acids of several membrane fractions of the rat anterior pituitary, the secretion of which is known to be partly dependent on the membrane phospholipidic constituents. In standard dietary conditions, arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) and its elongation product, adrenic acid (22:4n-6), were the two main polyunsaturated fatty acids in all fractions studied. In rats deprived of EFA for 6 weeks after weaning, the levels of both 20:4n-6 and 22:4n-6 were not changed in microsomal + plasma membrane and nuclear fractions, whereas they were decreased in heavy mitochondrial and light mitochondrial fractions. The present data suggest a mechanism of compensation between membrane fractions which may preferentially preserve 20:4n-6 and 22:4n-6 in discrete membrane fractions.
Alessio
M L
ML
Depto de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, UFPE, Recife (PE), Brazil.
Wandscheer
D E
DE
Soares
M C
MC
Clauser
H
H
Enjalbert
A
A
Kordon
C
C
Léger
C L
CL
D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism*; D004883:Erucic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000032:analysis / Q000172:deficiency*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D008297:Male; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008861:Microsomes / Q000737:chemistry; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000737:chemistry
D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; D004883:Erucic Acids; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids; C011395:adrenic acid; D016718:Arachidonic Acid