The enzymatic exchange of the acyl group of acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate with free fatty acids.

Acyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate (acyl DHAPl) has been shown to be a precursor of glycerolipids in a variety of systems (1,2). Acyl DHAP has also been found to be the precursor of glycerol ether lipids (1,Z). It has been shown that acyl DHAP reacts with long chain alcohols to form l-O-alkyl dihydroxyacetone-3-phosphate (alkyl DHAPl) (3,4). During the investigation of the formation of the ether bond it was noted that free fatty acid inhibited the formation of alkyl DHAP from acyl DHAP and fatty alcohol (3). Subsequently, it was found that this inhibition was due to the enzymatic exchange of the acyl moiety of acyl DHAP with free fatty acids. The details of the exchange reaction are described here.