Lipid glyceride synthesis by rat skeletal muscle

¹ Naval Medical Research Institute, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland

In rat diaphragm, glyceride synthesis was observed to occur predominantly in the microsome fraction. In a phosphate buffered system containing CoA, ATP, Mg⁺⁺, -glycerophosphate, fluoride, and mercaptoethanol, palmitate-1-C¹⁴ was incorporated into phosphatidic acid, diglyceride, and triglyceride. Some of the enzymatic characteristics of the isolated organelle system are reported. Skeletal muscle from the back and legs of rats possesses a similar capacity in the microsome fraction; the latter system incorporated oleate-1-C¹⁴, linoleate-1-C¹⁴ and linolenate-1-C¹⁴ into glycerides. Both types of skeletal muscle have also a soluble enzyme that can synthesize glycerides.