Fatty Acid Composition of Embryonic Fat Organ Lipids

Abstract

THE PERIODICITY in the deposition of lipid material in the fat organs of the embryonic chick has been previously reported in an earlier paper from the author’s laboratory (Feldman et al., 1962a). The accumulation of lipid material in the fat organ was very rapid during the period of the thirteenth to the seventeenth day and was probably due to the transport of yolk lipids to the fat organs by means of serum lipoproteins. The metabolic change that occurs after this period includes the synthesis of triglyceride by the fat organ; and, in addition, the carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism is profoundly altered (Feldman et al., 1962b). It is not unreasonable to assume that if triglyceride synthesis did occur at approximately seventeen days of incubation, the event would be marked by a change in the fatty acid content of the tissue. Furthermore, these changes in fatty acid content would be apparent …