Rates of cholesterol, ubiquinone, dolichol and dolichyl‐P biosynthesis in rat brain slices

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Abstract
Slices from the brain and liver of rats were prepared and upon incubation exhibited a continuous and high capacity for incorporation of radioactive precursors into proteins and lipids. Using [3H]mevalonate as precursor, the rates of biosynthesis of cholesterol, ubiquinone, dolichol and dolichyl‐P in brain slices were determined and found to be 5.5,0.25,0.0093 and 0.0091 nmol/h/g, respectively. Dolichol and dolichyl‐P accumulate to a limited extent, but almost all of these lipids in the brain originate from de novo synthesis. The calculated half‐lives for cholesterol, ubiquinone, dolichol and dolichyl‐P were 4076, 90, 1006 and 171 h, respectively. The results indicate that lipids formed via the mevalonate pathway in the brain have an active and independently regulated biosynthesis.