Relation of Phospolipids to DNA in Breast and Thigh Muscle Tissue of Chicken

(From the Summary): Abbreviated The content of phospholipids per unit of DNA and the distribution of cephalins, lecithins, and sphingomyelin in the breast and thigh muscle tissues of eight chickens were studied. Nucleic acids were extracted from the muscle tissues with hot trichloroacetic acid and the content of desoxyribose, determined colorimetrically by the Dische diphenylamine reaction, was used as an index to the DNA concentration. Thin layer chromatography was used to separate the triglycerides from the phospholipids and to fractionate the latter compounds. Phosphorus analysis was used to estimate the quantity of phospholipids and of each phospholipid class.

The amounts of total lipid, phospholipid, and DNA in a given weight of tissue were lower in the breast than in the thigh on both a wet weight and a dry weight basis. Phospholipids constituted a greater proportion of the total lipids in the breast than in the thigh muscles. Although the mean amount of phospholipid per unit of DNA was higher in the thigh than in the breast, this relationship was not consistent.

In both tissues the phospholipid classes in order of decreasing abundance were lecithins, cephalins, and sphingomyelin. Concentrations of cephalins and sphingomyelin were lower in breast than in thigh phospholipids and the percentage of lecithin was correspondingly higher in the breast phospholipids. Cephalin-DNA and sphingomyelin-DNA ratios were higher in thigh than in breast muscle.