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Effect of a Vitamin B-12-Deficient Diet on Lipid and Fatty Acid Composition of Spinal Cord Myelin in the Fruit Bat¹

Departments of Haematology and Medical Biochemistry, School of Pathology of the South African Institute for Medical Research and the University of the Witwatersrand, P.O. Box 1038, Johannesburg, 2000, Republic of South Africa

The effects of vitamin B-12 deficiency on lipids and fatty acids of spinal cord myelin were studied in control and vitamin B-12-deficient fruit bats. Very low plasma and brain vitamin B-12 concentrations were present in animals fed the vitamin B-12-free, all fruit diet. Myelin was isolated from the spinal cord of control and vitamin B-12-deficient animals (n = 3 pools) by means of a flotation method in a discontinuous sucrose gradient. The molar concentration of cholineglycerophosphatide was significantly lower in the deficient bats than in the controls. The molar cholesterol:phospholipid ratio in the deficient bats was also significantly lower. The odd-chain fatty acid 15:1 was not detected in cholineglycerophosphatide from the controls, but comprised 1.4% of the total fatty acids in the deficient group. The odd-chain fatty acids 15:0, 17:1 and 19:0 were present in slightly higher amounts in cholineglycerophosphatide of deficient bats. Lipid and fatty acid differences were related to the vitamin B-12-requiring methionine synthetase and methylmalonyl CoA mutase reactions.

KEY WORDS: • vitamin B-12 deficiency • myelin lipids • fruit bats

¹ Supported in part by grants from the South African Medical Research Council and the Atomic Energy Board of South Africa.

Manuscript received 4 August 1982.