Phospholipid biosynthesis in the anaerobic protozoon Entodinium caudatum

1. The anaerobic rumen protozoon Entodinium caudatum was incubated either intact or with various radioactive precursors of phospholipids after ultrasonication. 2. Pulse-chase experiments showed a rapid turnover of phosphatidylinositol and much slower turnovers of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. 3. E. caudatum imbibed choline very rapidly; this was immediately and exclusively converted into phosphatidylcholine which was shown by radioautography after 10 min to be distributed throughout the cell membranes. 4. Phosphatidylcholine was synthesized through a phosphorylcholine-CDP-choline pathway, the methylation or base-exchange pathways not being present. 5. Under suitable conditions [Me-14C]choline can be substantially (50-60%) converted into CDP-choline by sonicated E. caudatum and this provides an excellent method of preparing this biosynthetic intermediary. 6. [2-14C]Ethanolamine was taken up much less readily than choline. The former was incorporated into phosphatidylethanolamine by the CDP-ethanolamine pathway. 7. Doubly labelled [32P]phosphatidyl[2-3H]ethanolamine was converted into ceramide phosphorylethanolamine and N-(1-carboxyethyl)phosphatidyl-ethanolamine, without change in the isotopic ratio. Ceramide phosphoryl [2-14C]-ethanolamine was converted into phsophatidylethanolamine. 8. Palmitic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid were taken by E. caudatum cells and incorporated into phospholipids. By contrast, although stearic acid was taken up it was hardly incorporated into phospholipids.