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Yolk platelets, the principal components of amphibian oocytes, have been generally considered as material reservoirs. Their biochemical composition and function during oogenesis and early development have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to carry out a lipidic characterization of yolk platelets from full-grown Bufo arenarum oocytes. Ovarian oocytes were manually obtained and the subcellular fraction was isolated by centrifugation at low velocity. Lipids were separated by thin-layer chromatography. For compositional analysis, they were derived by methanolysis, being identified and quantified in a gas-liquid chromatograph. Phospholipid content indicates that phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine are the main phospholipids followed by phosphatidylinositol, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidic acid. Phospholipidic profile is similar to that in whole oocytes except for the absence of diphosphatidylglycerol in yolk platelets. Oleic, palmitic, and linoleic acids are the main fatty acids in phosphatidylcholine, and oleic acid is the principal one in phosphatidylethanolamine. In phosphatidic acid, palmitic, estearic, palmitoleic, and oleic acids represent 68 mol% of the total acyl groups. Phosphatidylinositol, enriched in arachidonic acid, is the most unsaturated phospholipid while sphingomyelin shows the lowest unsaturation index. The acyl group distribution in triacylglycerols is similar when yolk platelets and whole oocytes are compared. Polar and neutral lipids of yolk platelets determine the lipidic profile of the whole oocyte. The presence of unusual fatty acids as 14:0, 15:0, 15:1, 17:0, and 17:1 in phospholipids and triacylglycerols may indicate an oxidation mechanism different from β-oxidation in yolk platelets and/or a structural and functional relation with mitochondria. Given that yolk platelets in amphibian oocytes may act in a dynamic fashion in development, their role should be reconsidered. J. Exp. Zool. 297A:189–195, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]