The appearance of lecithin-32P, synthesized from lysolecithin-32P, in phagosomes of polymorphonuclear leukocytes

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Abstract
Rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes ingesting paraffin oil particles stabilized with albumin, converted more lysolecithin-32P (added to the medium as an albumin complex) to cellular lecithin than did control cells. Almost all of the increment in leukocyte lecithin-32P is found in association with the isolated phagocytic vacuoles. About half of lecithin-32P of granulocytes incubated first with lysolecithin-32P and then reincubated with paraffin particles in a nonradioactive medium is transferred from a sedimentable (presumably membrane) fraction to the phagosomes. Isolated phagosomes or granules by themselves are capable of acylating lysolecithin. The main source of lysolecithin-32P for synthesis of cellular lecithin-32P, however, appears to be extracellular rather than lysolecithin-32P within the cytoplasm or the phagocytic vacuole. We interpret our findings therefore as indicating that lecithin-32P in the phagosomes derives chiefly from the outer membrane.