THE OCCURRENCE OF FREE AND ESTERIFIED STEROLS IN THE OIL BODIES ISOLATED FROM MAIZE SEED SCUTELLA AND A CELERY CELL-SUSPENSION CULTURE

Oil bodies were isolated from the scutella of Zea mays (maize), and fr om cell suspension cultures of Apium graveolens (celery) and shown to contain at least 60% of the total steryl ester present in the cells. T he proportions of free and esterified sterols present in the oil bodie s were estimated. The free serols comprised a low proportion in both s pecies (<0.5% of the total lipid in the oil body). Steryl esters const ituted only 0.2% of the oil body lipids of maize, but 4.5% of the tota l lipid of celery oil bodies. There was Little difference in the compo sition of free and esterified sterols between maize oil body and non-o il body material,but the proportion of precursor 4-methylsterols in th e free sterol fraction of celery was somewhat enhanced within the oil body.