title: Composition of long-chain bases in sphingomyelin of the guinea pig Harderian gland.
abstract: Sphingomyelin from the guinea pig Harderian gland was isolated and characterized. The purified sphingomyelin gave a broad spot on thin-layer chromatography. The fatty acid composition of the whole sphingomyelin was 71% nonhydroxy acids and 29% 2-hydroxy acids. Methyl-branched fatty acids were only 2% of the total acids. The long-chain bases were composed of straight-chain sphingenines (50%) and sphinganines (6%). Methyl-branched long-chain bases were 44% of the bases. The sphingomyelin was further separated into four fractions (I, II, III, IV) by high-performance liquid chromatography. The ratio of fractions I, II, III, and IV was approximately 2:5:2:1, respectively. The fatty acids of fractions I and II consisted of nonhydroxy acids and those of fractions III and IV were 2-hydroxy acids. The long-chain bases of fractions I and III were sphinganines including 10-, 9-, and 8-methylsphinganines and anteiso-sphinganines. These methyl-branched bases occupied about 70% of the total sphinganines. The long-chain bases of fractions II and IV consisted of sphingenines. The methyl-branched unsaturated bases were only 30% of the total sphingenines, all in the anteiso-form. Thus, the sphingomyelin obtained from guinea pig Harderian gland had complex compositions of fatty acids and long-chain bases, and half the number of long-chain bases had methyl branches. The methyl-branched fatty acids were only a minor component. These characteristics are similar to those of cerebrosides isolated from the same source.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Chemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yasugi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kasama
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shibahara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Seyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006243:Harderian Gland / Q000032:analysis*; D007765:Lacrimal Apparatus / Q000032:analysis*; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D013109:Sphingomyelins; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase