Studies of pesticide effects on <italic>Chlorella</italic> metabolism I. Effect of herbicides on complex lipid biosynthesis

Abstract

Various herbicides were tested for possible effects on biosynthesis of complex lipids in Chlorella using 14C-U-acetate as a precursor. Among the herbicides tested, Hill reaction inhibitors caused inhibition of 14C-incorporation by 60 to 80 per cent at a concentration of 5 mg/liter, and noticeable alteration in the labeling pattern of glyco- and phospholipids. Proportions of mono- and digalactolipids markedly decreased while those of phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl glycerol increased. In terms of net synthesis, phosphatidyl ethanolamine was affected, if at all, only slightly by Hill reaction inhibitors, while the other complex lipids decreased to various degrees.