Changes in fatty acid compositions of mitochondria during embryonic development.
1. A general trend among biomembranes of hepatocytes in the developing avian embryo is to display increasing percentages of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid (C18:1). 2. However, once increasing amounts of thyroxine appear in the plasma, mitochondria begin to exhibit increasing percentages of saturated fatty acids, primarily stearic acid (C18:0). 3. Increasing saturation of mitochondrial membrane lipids can be inhibited by exposure of embryonated eggs to 500 R of X-irradiation. 4. Injection of embryonated eggs with estrone increases the proportion of oleic acid (C18:1) in mitochondrial membranes but a balancing increase in palmitic acid (C16:0) enables their lipids to remain more saturated than unsaturated.
Schjeide
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Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb 60115.
D000818:Animals; D002642:Chick Embryo; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014965:X-Rays / Q000009:adverse effects
D005227:Fatty Acids