title: Effect of a vitamin B-12-deficient diet on lipid and fatty acid composition of spinal cord myelin in the fruit bat.
abstract: The effects of vitamin B-12 deficiency on lipids and fatty acids of spinal cord myelin were studied in control and vitamin B-12-deficient fruit bats. Very low plasma and brain vitamin B-12 concentrations were present in animals fed the vitamin B-12-free, all fruit diet. Myelin was isolated from the spinal cord of control and vitamin B-12-deficient animals (n = 3 pools) by means of a flotation method in a discontinuous sucrose gradient. The molar concentration of cholineglycerophosphatide was significantly lower in the deficient bats than in the controls. The molar cholesterol: phospholipid ratio in the deficient bats was also significantly lower. The odd-chain fatty acid 15:1 was not detected in cholineglycerophosphatide from the controls, but comprised 1.4% of the total fatty acids in the deficient group. The odd-chain fatty acids 15:0, 17:1 and 19:0 were present in slightly higher amounts in cholineglycerophosphatide of deficient bats. Lipid and fatty acid differences were related to the vitamin B-12-requiring methionine synthetase and methylmalonyl CoA mutase reactions.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002685:Chiroptera; D004032:Diet; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005997:Glycerylphosphorylcholine / Q000032:analysis; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008765:Methylmalonyl-CoA Mutase / Q000032:analysis; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000032:analysis*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000032:analysis; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000032:analysis*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids; D005997:Glycerylphosphorylcholine; D008765:Methylmalonyl-CoA Mutase; D014805:Vitamin B 12