Phytosphingosine is a characteristic component of the glycolipids in the vertebrate intestine.
Sphingoids in the intestinal lipids of an agnatha, a chondrichthyes, two osteichthyes, three amphibia, three reptiles and two avian species were analyzed by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. The glycolipid fraction of all the samples studied contained 4-D-hydroxysphinganine as the major component together with sphingosine and sphinganine. While the trihydroxy base was not found in their sphingomyelin fraction. The trihydroxy base was considered to be a characteristic component of the intestinal glycolipids for the vertebrates in general. Its concentration in the intestinal tissue had little correlation with the food habitat of the animals.
D000818:Animals; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000378:metabolism*
D006017:Glycolipids; C012491:phytosphingosine; D013110:Sphingosine