Plasmalogens are glycerophospholipids of neural membranes containing vinyl ether bonds. Their synthetic pathway is located in peroxisomes and endoplasmic reticulum. About 20% of mammalian Glycerophospholipids are Plasmalogens. The exact percentage varies both from species to species and from tissue to tissue within a given organisms. While Plamalogens comprise only 0.8% of phospholipids in human liver, they account for 23% of those in human nervous tissue (Ref.1).
One of the starting materials for plasmalogen biosynthesis is DHAP (Dihydroxyacetone Phosphate) from glycolysis, which is used to form the glycerol backbone of the plasmalogen. The initial steps of plasmalogen biosynthesis are catalyzed by DHAP-AT (Dihydroxyacetone phosphate Acyltransferase) and Alkyl-DHAP-S (Alkyl- Dihydroxyacetone phosphate Synthase), both of which have been localized in the membranes of [...]