Synthesized triglycerides structural formulas
A normal well fed animal is given an intravenous injection of radioactive acetate labeled with 14C in the methyl group. By use of structural formulas indicate the carbon atoms that will be labeled most heavily in the newly synthesized triglycerides. Briefly justify your result.
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Ingested acetate will be converted to acetylCoA. The methyl group is the carbon atom we are interested in tracking. Therefore, the methyl C of acetylCoA will be labelled.
The first step in fatty acid formation is the synthesis of malonylCoA, which results from the carboxylation of acetylCoA. MalonylCoA carries a 3 carbon fragment. Which carbon is labelled? It is methylene carbon, C2, since the COO- group adds to the methyl carbon of the previous acetyl group.
What next? Another acetylCoA joins ...
Solution Summary
This solution includes explanations on how to indicate carbon atoms labelled most heavily in synthesized triglycerides.