Some characteristics of soluble fatty acid synthesis in germinating pea seeds.

Soluble fractions from germinating pea synthesize palmitic acid de novo and stearic acid by elongation. Malonyl CoA, acyl carrier protein and NADPH are required for both reactions. In contrast to some other plant systems, no requirement was found for divalent cations. On the other hand, the formation of both stearate and palmitate was inhibited by sulphydryl reagents and palmitate elongation was sensitive to arsenite. The products of the reactions were examined and found to be principally acyl-acyl carrier proteins and unesterified fatty acids. Unlike the pea microsomal fractions, the soluble enzymes are stimulated only slightly by the addition of exogenous lipids. The substrate for palmitate elongation is palmitoylacyl carrier protein, which is quantitatively elongated to stearate. Comparisons are made with membrane-localised fatty acid synthesis from the same tissue.