Acylation of Lysophosphatides by Plasma Membrane Fractions of Rat Liver

The plasma membrane fraction of rat liver was isolated and incubated with labeled lysophosphatides in the presence of cofactors; the acylation of lysolecithin to lecithin by the fraction was compared to that of the rough and smooth microsomes. The purity of the isolated fractions was ascertained by enzyme markers and electron microscopy, and the maximal contamination of the plasma membrane fraction by microsomes did not exceed 20%. Under conditions at which the reaction was proportional to the amount of enzyme used, the plasma membrane had a specific activity similar to that of the smooth and rough microsomes. With doubly labeled lysolecithin (containing palmitic acid-(14)C and choline-(3)H) it was shown that the lecithin formed retained the same ratio of the two labels, which indicated that lysolecithin was converted to lecithin through an acylation reaction. The newly formed lecithin was shown to be bound to the plasma membrane fraction; this suggested that it is incorporated into the structure of the membrane itself.