PLATELET LIPIDS .2. IN VITRO INCORPORATION OF 1-14C PALMITIC ACID INTO LIPID FRACTIONS OF RABBIT PLATELETS

Rabbit platelets incubated with 114C palmitic acid incorporate radioactivity into phospholipids and neutral lipids. Results are given for several incubation times. Palmitic acid is incorporated particularly by lecithin and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). While lecithins show a rapid and continuous increase of specific activity, over a 1 hr period of incubation, PE reaches a plateau of incorporation after 15 min. Tryglycerides increase the specific activity over the total incubation period and also the small cholesterol-ester fraction is able to incorporate palmitic acid to some extent. The other phospholipid fractions do not incorporate significant amounts of radioactivity. The relation of palmitic acid incorporation into lipids with platelet membrane function is discussed. © 1968.