Transfer and subsequent metabolism of lysolipids studied by immobilizing subcellular compartments in alginate beads

The transfer and subsequent metabolism of lysophosphatidylcholine between s ubcellular compartments were studied in vitro by embedding membranes in alg inate beads. After several experiments to validate the process, it was demo nstrated that lysophosphatidylcholine was transferred from microsomes embed ded in alginate beads to immobilized chloroplasts, that this transfer invol ved the partition of this molecule, and that the imported lysophosphatidylc holine was further used as substrate for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. More generally, the technique used makes it possible to avoid any cross-con tamination between compartments, to evidence a transfer of molecules, and t o study the metabolism of the imported molecules in the acceptor compartmen t. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.