Because castor produces oil with a high content of hydroxyl FA (90% ricinoleate), we were interested in determining the flexibility of castor seed microsomes in incorporating other hydroxyl FA into castor oil. To this end, we incubated the [ 14 C]-labeled 12:0 FA laurate (La), 11-hydroxylaurate, and 12-hydroxylaurate with castor microsomes that were capable of synthesizing castor oil. The molecular species of PC and acylglycerols (AG) incorporating these nonendogenous FA of castor were identified by reversed-phase C 8 and C 18 HPLC, respectively. [ 14 C]Laurate was incorporated into the molecular species of PC and AG at levels of 10 and 4%, respectively, that of [ 14 C]ricinoleate. Similar to those from the incorporation of six [ 14 C]FA reported previously [ricinoleate (R), oleate (O), linoleate (L), linolenate (Ln), stearate (S), and palmitate (P)], the molecular species of PC incorporating [ 14 C]laureate were LLa-PC > PLa-PC > OLa-PC > LnLa-PC > SLa-PC > RLa-PC. The molecular species of AG incorporating [ 14 C]laurate were RRLa > LaLa > RLa > RLLa > ROLa > LOLa > LLLa > LLa > LLnLa > RSLa > OOLa. The retention times for lipids incorporating laurate were similar to those of lipids incorporating linolenate, because the equivalent carbon numbers of laurate and linolenate are the same. Relative retention times of the molecular species of PC and AG containing laurate are also reported here. The incorporation of 11-hydroxylaurate and 12-hydroxylaurate into PC and AG was not detected. Paper no. J10984 in JAOCS 82, 495-499 (2005).The presence of a hydroxyl group on ricinoleate (12-hydroxyoleate, C 18 long-chain FA) underlies many industrial uses such as the manufacture of lithium grease, plastics, coatings, and cosmetics. Castor oil contains 90% of its FA as ricinoleate (1) and is the only commercial source of ricinoleate. We have recently studied the incorporation of six endogenous long-chain FA-ricinoleate (R), stearate (S), oleate (O), linoleate (L), linolenate (Ln), and palmitate (P)-into PC and acylglycerols (AG) in castor microsomes (2,3). Among the six FA, ricinoleate was incorporated into TAG most effectively. Since the position of the hydroxyl group on ricinoleate (C 18 ) is the same as on 12-hydroxylaurate (C 12 ), castor microsomal incorporation of radiolabeled laurate (La), 11-hydroxylaurate, and 12-hydroxylaurate into PC and AG was of interest to determine the flexibility of castor in producing other hydroxyl FA. Laurate is mainly found in lauric oils such as coconut and palm kernel and is used in food products and in the manufacture of soaps and detergents. The mediumchain hydroxyl FA 11-hydroxylauric acid and 12-hydroxylauric acid can be used in the manufacture of polymers.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESMicrosomal incubation. Microsomes from castor bean were prepared as described previously, and microsomal incubations were scaled up 10 times with the addition of CoA-SH to generate suitable amounts of material for analysis (4,5). The incubation mixture, in a total volume of 10 mL, included sodium phosphate buf...