Identification of Alpha-glyceryl Ether Phospholipids as Major Lipid Constituents in Two Species of Terrestrial Slug.

Since the discovery by Carter, Smith, and Jones (1) in 1958 that cr-glyceryl ether analogues of phospholipids occur in nature, many other reports of their presence have appeared in the literature (24). Until recently, however, all reported findings indicated concentrations of these lipids that were quite low. The work of Hanahan and Watts (5) and of Thompson and Hanahan (6) dealing with the bovine erythrocyte and bovine bone marrow, respectively, shows that in both of these sources the glyceryl ether lipid levels assume significant proportions, making up from 10 to 15 mole per cent of the total phospholipid fraction. In view of these findings it seemed important to investigate other organisms for their glyceryl ether content. This paper presents data showing that two species of terrestrial slug, At-ion ater and Ariolimax columbianus, contain cw-glyceryl ether phospholipids in higher levels than have been found in any other form of life.