title: Release of arachidonic acid from 1-alkyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, a precursor of platelet-activating factor, in rat alveolar macrophages.
abstract: Platelet activating factor and the bioactive metabolites of arachidonic acid are secreted by alveolar macrophages in response to stimulation by phagocytic agents or calcium ionophore. We have previously shown a deacylation-acetylation sequence in the formation of 1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PAF) from alkylacyl-(long chain)-GPC (Albert, D.H. and Snyder, F. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 97-102). This sequence may be an important source of 20:4 during inflammatory reactions since, in alveolar macrophages, the ether lipid precursor of PAF represents 35% of the choline glycerophospholipids and has a much higher content (35%) of 20:4 in the sn-2 position than does diacyl-GPC (17%). Alveolar macrophages prelabeled with 14C-labeled fatty acids (16:0, 18:1, 18:2 and 20:4) and [1-3H]alkyllyso-GPC were used to study the release of fatty acids from ether-linked and diacyl phospholipids. Each of these fatty acids was incorporated primarily into the choline glycerophospholipids of alveolar macrophages. The release of 20:4 from macrophage phospholipids was increased by treatment of the labeled cells with the calcium ionophore A23187 (2 microM) or zymosan (1 mg/ml), whereas the release of 16:0, 18:1 and 18:2 was not increased above control levels by either stimuli. Although more of the labeled 20:4 is released from the diacyl-GPC (50% of the total released), substantial amounts (44%) of 20:4 are derived from alkylacyl-GPC after incubating the stimulated cells for 60 min. The loss of 20:4 continued from the diacyl species throughout the incubation period studied, whereas a slower net release of 20:4 lost from the alkylacyl-GPC fraction was evident after 2 h. We conclude that the deacylation-reacylation cycle is an important aspect of the metabolism of 20:4 and alkylacyl-GPC during inflammatory stimulation of alveolar macrophages and that the deacylation of this ether-linked phospholipid (which is the first step in the formation of PAF) is responsible for a significant amount of the 20:4 released.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: C036761:1-alkyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor; D014316:Tritium; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D000001:Calcimycin