Propranolol increases the biosynthesis of phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine in the toad retina. Studies in the entire and subcellular fractions.

1. Intact toad retinas incubated for short periods of time with [2-3H]glycerol were subject to subcellular fractionation. 2. The composition and labeling of glycerolipids were studied in the following subcellular fractions: rod outer segments (ROS), nuclear-photoreceptor inner segment synaptic body (P1), synaptosomal-mitochondrial (P2), microsomal and cytosolic. 3. It was concluded that the biosynthetic de novo route was followed by [2-3H]glycerol in the toad retina since radioactive was located solely in the glycerol backbone of lipids and phosphatidic acid specific activity was the highest. 4. Propranolol produces an increase in the biosynthesis of acidic phospholipids and inhibition in the biosynthesis of zwitterionic lipids in the entire toad retina. The effect was mainly located in microsomes and in the soluble fraction during the first minutes of incubation, being spread afterwards to other fractions. 5. These data are consistent with the view that enzymes of the biosynthesis of glycerolipids are modified in the retinal endoplasmic reticulum by propranolol, providing a useful tool to evaluate the regulation of the pathway.