Biochemistry of the sphingolipides. X. Phytoglycolipide, a complex phytosphingosine‐containing lipide from plant seeds

Abstract

Summary A new complex lipide, phytoglycolipide, has been isolated from soybea, corn, flaxseed, peanut, sunflowerseed, cottonseed, and wheat phosphatides. This material is obtained by a mild alkaline saponification procedure which destroys glycerol‐containing lipides. The new lipide constitutes about 5% of the crude phosphatides and is obtained as a white amorphous powder of identical composition, optical activity, and solubility properties from the various sources. Phytoglycolipide gives on hydrolysis phytosphingosine (and, in the case of soybean only, an unsaturated derivative of phytosphingosine) fatty acids, inositol, glucosamine, a hexuronic acid, galactose, arabinose, mannose, and phosphate. Phytoglycolipide is the first sphingolipide of plant origin to be described and is unique among complex sphingolipides in that it has the structural features of a glycolipide and of a phosphatide.

An Inositolphosphorylceramide Synthase Is Involved in Regulation of Plant Programmed Cell Death Associated with Defense inArabidopsis

“…We reasoned that ERH1 may be a functional homolog of Lm IPCS and yeast AUR1p, since plants have been known to synthesize phosphoinositol-containing sphingolipids and sphingomyelin has not been detected in yeast and plants (Carter et al, 1958;Kaul and Lester, 1975;Markham et al, 2006).…”

Characterization of Inositol-containing Phosphosphingolipids from Tobacco Leaves

“…The proposed structures for the ceramide trisaccharides, PSL-I and PSL-II, as well as the properties of the partially purified tobacco P-sphingolipids indicate their close similarity to the phytoglycolipid studied by Carter et al (6). Still to be determined is the precise linkage and stereochemistry of the oligosaccharide components of PSL-I and PSL-II.…”

“…The original method of Carter et al (6) for the isolation of P-sphingolipids employed commercial lipid preparations which were subjected to alkaline hydrolysis to remove acylester lipids followed by solvent fractionation. Countercurrent distribution of commercial plant lipid preparations without resort to alkali treatment also resulted in purification of a P-sphingolipid fraction (10).…”

“…Gangliosides, negatively charged glycosphingolipids, which derive their charge from one or more sialic groups glycosidically linked to the oligosaccharide portions of various ceramide-oligosaccharides (38), are widespread in animal cells but have not been reported to occur in plants. A negatively charged glycosphingolipid that does occur in plants is phytoglycolipid, so named by Carter and co-workers (6) who have carried out pioneering investigations in this area. They showed that phytoglycolipid occurred in seeds from corn, flax, and soybeans (6), as well as in bean leaves (11).…”

“…A negatively charged glycosphingolipid that does occur in plants is phytoglycolipid, so named by Carter and co-workers (6) who have carried out pioneering investigations in this area. They showed that phytoglycolipid occurred in seeds from corn, flax, and soybeans (6), as well as in bean leaves (11). Phytoglycolipid is apparently unique to plants, although related substances have been reported in fungi (19,29).…”