Formation of ceramide phosphorylethanolamine from phosphatidylethanolamine in the rumen protozoon Entodinium caudatum (Short Communication).

From ;pulse'-labelling experiments of Entodinium caudatum with [(14)C]ethanolamine and by incubating the organism with [(32)P]phosphatidylethanolamine it is concluded that phosphatidylethanolamine can act as a direct precursor of the phosphorylethanolamine moiety of ceramide phosphorylethanolamine. The phosphorylethanolamine is probably never liberated in the free form but is transferred directly to a ceramide or ceramide-containing acceptor. The results are also in agreement with previous conclusions that phosphatidylethanolamine is the direct lipid precursor of N-(1-carboxyethyl)phosphatidylethanolamine.