Synthesis of paf-acether from exogenous precursors by the prokaryote Escherichia coli.

Paf-acether (paf) is a potent mediator of inflammatory diseases and septic shock. Using normal-phase HPLC, a paf-like activity was found in culture supernatants from E. coli. Prokaryotic paf exhibited the same biological and physico-chemical properties as eukaryotic cells and synthetic paf. Further, reverse-phase HPLC indicates that paf generated by bacteria is predominantly of the hexadecyl and octadecyl species. When cultures were supplemented with lyso-paf, a dramatic increase in paf production was observed. The purity and molecular structure of bacterial paf were further characterized by mass spectral analysis. These results could be of importance considering the pathogenetic role of enterobacteria. Further, it appears that the competence to form and release paf is an early phylogenetic development.