Incorporation of [1-14C]octadecanol into the lipids of Leishmania donovani.

After incubation of stationary phase Leishmania donovani with [1-14C]octadecanol, about 70% of the precursor was taken up within 3 hr. Wax esters and acyl moieties of glycerolipids contained most of the 14C-activity from 3 to 6 hr, because octadecanol was partly oxidized to stearate. Ether moieties were only weakly labeled. After 40 hr, 1-0-alkyl and 1-0-alk-1'-enyl diacylglycerols as well as 1-0-alkyl and 1-0-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamines contained nearly all of the radioactivity. Most of the label in the neutral ether lipids was located in the alkyl ether side chain, whereas, in the phosphatidylethanolamine fraction, most of the label was found in the alkenyl ether side chain. Administration of 1-0-[1-14C]hexadecyl glycerol resulted in rapid labeling of the vinyl ether side chain of phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen (1 hr) increasing further at 2.5 hr. Most of the radioactivity in the alkoxy diacylglycerols was found in the 1-0-alkyl moiety.