A Technique for the Measurement of in vitro Phospholipid Synthesis via Radioactive Labeling

Abstract

This is an assay designed to examine the radioactive phosphorous incorporation when the molecule is being synthesized, which means that only de novo synthesized phospholipids can be detected. Thus, with this technique it is possible to detect in vitro phospholipid synthesis under different required experimental conditions respect to controls (Guido and Caputto, 1990; Ferrero et al., 2014). There are different types of lipids. Among them we can find phospholipids, which contain glycerol esterified with two fatty acyl chains and a phosphate group that can also be bound to an organic molecule that acts as “hydrophilic head”, as shown in Figure 1 for the case of phosphatidylcholine. This structure confers amphipathic properties to lipid molecules that allow them to form lipid bilayers, making phospholipids the main components of biological membranes.