Abstract:Primary cultures were prepared from newborn rat brain. After 16‐18 days, they consisted mainly of mature and immature astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, as judged by immunohistochemistry. To study the metabolism of ethanolamine glycerophospholipids, the cells were incubated with 1‐[1‐3H]alkyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphoethanolamine (1‐alkyl‐GPE), for 1–20 h. Five main products were formed: 1‐alkyl‐2‐acyl‐GPE; 1‐alkyl‐2‐acyksn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine (1‐alkyl‐2‐acyl‐GPC); 1‐alkenyl‐2‐acyl‐GPE (ethanolamine plasmalogen); 1‐alkenyl‐2‐acyl‐GPC (choline plasmalogen); and 1‐alkyl‐glycerol. Acylation of the substrate was the main reaction during the first 3 h of incubation, whereas desaturation to plasmaiogen reached a maximum after 12 h. Greater amounts of radioactivity were observed in the phosphatidylcholine fraction after longer incubation times. Only small amounts of choline plasmalogen were observed. The phosphatidylethanolamine fraction consisted of 26.5% diacyl‐, 27.5% alkyl‐acyl‐, and 46.0% alkenyl‐acyl‐ compounds, whereas the corresponding data for the phosphatidylcholine fraction were 78.5, 16.4, and 5.1%, respectively, after 20 h of inc