[Department of lipid biochemistry].

The Department of Lipid Biochemistry was organized at the end of 1980. The head of the Department is Dr. Nadiya M. Gula, the Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Dr. N. m Govseeva and Dr. U. M. Klimashevsky work at the Department from the very beginning of its existense. Doctors G. L. Volkov, I. P. Artemenko, D. I. Balkov, O. O. Melnik and O. F. Perederiy worked here at different time. Two young scientists T. N. Goridko and V. M. Margitich recently began to work at the Department of Lipid Biochemistry. At present the main research interests in the Department of Lipid Biochemistry are focused on the functional role of phospholipids and some unusual lipids, on membrane-associated lipid dependent properties of cell (neuroblastoma cell, spermatozoa, some other types of cells), on membrane lipid peroxidation. For the last five years we have been working mainly with the murine neuroblastoma C1300 cell and some other types of cells in order to clarify the role of "unusual" minor cell lipids--N-acylphosphatidylethanol amine (NAPE) and N-acylethanolamine (NAE). NAPE and NAE were found for the first time in mammalian tissues by H. H. Schmid and coworkers. They observed an accumulation of unusual lipids in the infarcted areas of canine myocardium after coronary artery ligation and have suggested that they may be generated as protective agents aimed at minimizing irreversible ischemic injury and infarct size. We have detected unusual minor phospholipid NAPE in the cells of murine neuroblastoma and identified it by sequential chemical degradation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)