Effect of temperature acclimatization on the fatty acid composition of goldfish intestinal lipids.

TLDR: Altering of the adaptation temperature did not noticeably affect the fatty acid composition of the whole-fish lipids, but there were marked changes in the fatty acids of lipids extracted from homogenates of goldfish intestinal mucosa, and these changes were more pronounced in a membrane fraction prepared from these homogenate.

Abstract: 1. The fatty acid composition of whole goldfish, whole-intestinal mucosa, intestinal mucosal membranes and individual phospholipids extracted from mucosal membranes were measured, fish adapted to different temperatures being used. 2. Alterations of the adaptation temperature did not noticeably affect the fatty acid composition of the whole-fish lipids, but there were marked changes in the fatty acids of lipids extracted from homogenates of goldfish intestinal mucosa. These changes were more pronounced in a membrane fraction prepared from these homogenates. Raising the adaptation temperature by 20°C halved the percentage of C20:1, C20:4 and C22:6 fatty acids and nearly doubled the percentage of C18:0 and C20:3 fatty acids recovered. 3. Choline phosphoglycerides constituted about one-half and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides about one-quarter of the total membrane phospholipids. 4. The fatty acids of choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides were more susceptible to temperature-dependent changes than were the phosphoglycerides of inositol or serine. 5. The increase in C18:0 fatty acid that occurred in membranes of warm-adapted fish was greatest for ethanolamine phosphoglycerides, but increases also occurred in other phospholipid fractions and in membrane neutral lipids.