A new pathway for the synthesis of the plant sulpholipid, sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol

Abstract

A new pathway is proposed for the biosynthesis of the plant sulpholipid, sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol. The pathway begins at UDP-glucose and involves the formation therefrom of UDP-4-ketoglucose-5-ene to which is subsequently added sulphite (or its metabolic equivalent). Evidence consistent with this pathway, rather than with the previously proposed 'sulphoglycolytic' route, was obtained from experiments with pea chloroplast preparations. The evidence included the failure of potential inhibitors of the sulphoglycolytic pathway to alter the rate of synthesis of sulpholipid and the stimulation of the incorporation of 35SO42- into the latter by UTP. Radioactivity was effectively incorporated into sulpholipid from UDP-[14C]glucose and this radiolabelling was stimulated by the addition of methyl α-glucose-enide or of an enzyme system known to be forming (although not accumulating) UDP-4-ketoglucose-5-ene. This new pathway is also consistent with other data in the literature.