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Fatty Acid Utilization by L1210 Murine Leukemia Cells¹

Departments of Medicine [C. P. B., S-P, L. W., I. R. W., D. A. W., A. A. S.] and Biochemistry [A. A. S.], University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242

L1210 murine leukemia cells grow in an ascites plasma that contains lipids, including 0.62 ± 0.046 (S.E.) µEq free fatty acid per ml. In vitro incubations demonstrated that isolated L1210 cells readily utilize free fatty acid that is added to the incubation medium. When the cells were incubated with albumin-bound [1-¹⁴C]palmitate, about 12 times more radioactivity was incorporated into cell lipids than was oxidized to CO₂. Triacylglycerols contained 1.5 to 4 times more radioactivity than phospholipids, and from 48 to 69% of the phospholipid radioactivity was recovered in the choline phosphoglycerides. [1-¹⁴C]Palmitate utilization increased as the fatty acid concentration of the medium was raised, the largest increase occurring in the triacylglycerol fraction. Palmitate utilization also was increased by the presence of carbohydrates in the medium, their effectiveness (in descending order) being glucose, mannose, galactose, fructose, and glycerol. By contrast, ribose did not produce any stimulatory effect. During a 1-hr incubation, between 82 and 87% of the [1-¹⁴C]palmitate that was taken up remained as palmitic acid. From 8 to 15% was elongated to stearate, and only 2 to 3% was desaturated to palmitoleate and oleate. Based upon the lipid content, growth rate, and palmitate utilization rate of the cells, it appears that a major portion of the lipid requirements of the L1210 cell may be supplied by the fatty acid contained in the ascites plasma. In addition, our results suggest that most of the saturated fatty acid taken up is incorporated into cell lipids without structural modification.

¹ This investigation was supported by Grant CA17283 awarded by the National Cancer Institute, Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 10/ 5/76. Accepted 4/ 1/77.