Triglyceride synthesis from dihydroxyacetone phosphate and palmitate by microsomes from mammary glands of lactating mice.

Both di- and triglycerides were synthesized when microsomes isolated from mammary glands of lactating mice were incubated with dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), 1(-14)C)palmitate, ATP, CoASH, GSH, KF, MgC12, and NADPH. When NADH replaced NADPH, glyceride synthesis was very low. In the absence of either NADPH or NADH, DHAP was acylated to palmityl-DHAP. Since microsomes do not have glycerol 3-phosphate NAD:oxidoreductase activity , we inferred that glycerol 3-phosphate (GP) is not an intermediate in triglyceride biosynthesis from DHAP. This reductase, present in the cytosol, was active only with NADH. With the same concentration of either GP or DHAP, microsomes yielded essentially similar amounts of di- and triglycerides. Mitochondria, while capable of synthesizing palmityl-DHAP, did not produce di- and triglycerides.