Squalene, lanosterol and cholesterol synthesis from acetate in neonatal chick tissues.

Acetate incorporation into squalene, lanosterol and cholesterol by liver and kidney slices and intestinal mucosa scrapes from neonatal chick was studied. Contrary to what is observed when using mevalonate as substrate, cholesterol was the main nonsaponifiable synthesized from acetate in all the conditions assayed. Low percentages of squalene and lanosterol were synthesized by liver and kidney slices, while in intestinal mucosa squalene was practically undetectable. The highest percentage of radioactivity in cholesterol was found in liver, followed by intestinal mucosa and kidney. Relative percentages of squalene, lanosterol and cholesterol were practically similar in each tissue at any incubation time and acetate concentration considered. Only in kidney these percentages, especially in the case of squalene, seemed to decrease at higher acetate concentrations (8-12 mM).