The biosynthesis of phosphatidylglycerol.

Phosphatidylglycerol has been shown to be a constituent of the lipids of both plant and animal tissues by Benson and Maruo (1) and Strickland and Benson (2). It has also been detected in bacteria (3,4). Benson and Maruo (1) have called attention to the rapid rate of metabolism of phosphatidylglycerol in plants, and Kanfer and Kennedy 1 have obtained evidence that this phosphatide is a metabolically active component of the lipids of Escher&u coli. Recently, Macfarlane has reported (5) that phosphatidylglycerol may be the phospholipid moiety of certain lipid-amino acid complexes in Clostridium welchii. The metabolism of phosphatidylglycerol thus appears to assume growing importance, but little has been known about detailed enzymatic pathways for its biosynthesis. In the present paper, evidence will be presented for the occurrence of the following reactions, catalyzed by enzymes from liver, leading to the formation of phosphatidylglycerol.