Citrate carrier activity and cardiolipin level in eel (Anguilla anguilla) liver mitochondria

• Published in: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Main Authors: Giudetti A. M., Siculella L., Gnoni G. V.
• Other Authors: Giudetti, A. M., Siculella, L., Gnoni, G. V.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2002
• Subjects: Cardiolipin; Citrate carrier; Eel; Fatty acid; Lipogenesi; Liver; Phospholipid; Rat; Anguilla anguilla
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11587/515415; https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-4959(02)00128-8

The activity of the tricarboxylate (citrate) carrier has been assayed in intact liver mitochondria from yellow eel (Anguilla anguilla) and compared to that from rat. The eel-citrate carrier specific activity was approximately 1.7-fold higher than that assayed in rat-liver mitochondria. The content of the main mitochondrial phospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, did not show a significant difference between the two species, while in eel a higher cardiolipin level was observed. Fatty acid composition of eel-liver mitochondrial phospholipids was characterised by a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, dominated by octadecaenoic acid (C18:1n-9) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3). The cardiolipin fatty acid pattern of eel-liver mitochondria showed, with respect to the rat, a higher C20:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 content and a lower amount of C18:2n-6 and C20:4n-6. A noticeable activity of lipogenic enzymes was also detected in eel liver cytosol. The results of this study suggest that the remarkable activity of the citrate carrier in eel-liver mitochondria can most likely be ascribed to a considerable cardiolipin level. A covariance of citrate carrier and lipogenic enzyme activities was observed. © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.