Perimicrovillar membrane assembly: the fate of phospholipids synthesised by the midgut of Rhodnius prolixus

• Main Authors: Paula Rego Bittencourt-Cunha, Livia Silva-Cardoso, Giselle Almeida de Oliveira, Jose Roberto da Silva, Alan Barbosa da Silveira, George Eduardo Gabriel Kluck, Michele Souza-Lima, Katia Calp Gondim, Marilvia Dansa-Petretsky, Carlos Peres Silva, Hatisaburo Masuda, Mario Alberto Cardoso da Silva Neto, Georgia Correa Atella
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 2013-06-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: lipid metabolism; lipoprotein; lipid transport; phospholipids; midgut
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762013000400494&lng=en&tlng=en

In this study, we describe the fate of fatty acids that are incorporated from the lumen by the posterior midgut epithelium of Rhodnius prolixus and the biosynthesis of lipids. We also demonstrate that neutral lipids (NL) are transferred to the haemolymphatic lipophorin (Lp) and that phospholipids remain in the tissue in which they are organised into perimicrovillar membranes (PMMs). 3H-palmitic acid added at the luminal side of isolated midguts of R. prolixus females was readily absorbed and was used to synthesise phospholipids (80%) and NL (20%). The highest incorporation of 3H-palmitic acid was on the first day after a blood meal. The amounts of diacylglycerol (DG) and triacylglycerol synthesised by the tissue decreased in the presence of Lp in the incubation medium. The metabolic fates of 3H-lipids synthesised by the posterior midgut were followed and it was observed that DG was the major lipid released to Lp particles. However, the majority of phospholipids were not transferred to Lp, but remained in the tissue. The phospholipids that were synthesised and accumulated in the posterior midgut were found to be associated with Rhodnius luminal contents as structural components of PMMs.