Bioc lec 4 Flashcards
What are biological lipids?
structurally diverse group of molecules defined by their hydrophobicity
What solvents are used to dissolve lipids?
Organic solvents are used to dissolve lipids.
What are the biological functions of lipids?
- Energy storage: Example: Triacylglycerols (fats and oils).
2.Structural elements of membranes: Example: Phospholipids and sterols.
3.Signal transduction (cell-cell communication): Example: Steroid hormones, prostaglandins.
4.Enzyme cofactors: Example: Coenzyme Q in the mitochondrial electron transport chain.
5.Vitamins: Example: Vitamins A, D, E, K.
6.Light-absorbing pigments: Example: Carotene
How can lipids occur covalently linked to other biomolecules?
Lipids can form:
-Glycolipids: Contain sugar and lipid portions (e.g., sphingolipids, gangliosides).
Example: Define human blood groups (O, A, B) through glycolipids on blood cells.
- Lipoproteins: Plasma lipoproteins (e.g., VLDL, LDL, HDL) linked to cardiovascular health.
What are glycolipids, and why are they important?
Glycolipids contain both sugar and lipid portions, are found in cell membranes, and define human blood groups (O, A, B).
What are lipoproteins, and what do they do?
Lipoproteins (e.g., VLDL, LDL, HDL) are plasma proteins that transport lipids and are associated with cardiovascular health and disease.
What are the main types of lipids?
Fatty acids:
Building blocks of complex lipids.
Central intermediates in metabolism.
Simplest lipid but not found in free form.
Triacylglycerols:
Storage fats.
Phosphoglycerides:
Major membrane lipids.
What are fatty acids?
Fatty acids are:
-Building blocks of many complex lipids.
-Central intermediates in metabolism.
-Simplest lipids but present in trace amounts and not found in free form.
What are triacylglycerols?
Triacylglycerols are lipids used for energy storage and commonly known as fats and oils.
What are phosphoglycerides?
Phosphoglycerides are major lipids in biological membranes.
What is the structure of carboxylic acids in fatty acids?
Carboxylic acids in fatty acids have hydrocarbon chains ranging from 4 to 36 carbons.
What are saturated fatty acids?
Saturated fatty acids have only single bonds and no double bonds between carbons in their chain.
What are unsaturated fatty acids?
Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds in their hydrocarbon chain.
What are monounsaturated fatty acids?
Monounsaturated fatty acids have 1 double bond in their chain.
What are polyunsaturated fatty acids?
Polyunsaturated fatty acids have more than one double bond in their chain.
How are carbons in fatty acids numbered?
C-1: Carbon of the carboxyl group.
α (alpha): Carbon next to the carboxyl group.
How do you represent fatty acids with numbers?
-The first number represents the number of carbons in the chain.
-The second number represents the number of double bonds.
-These are separated by a colon (e.g., 18:2 for an 18-carbon chain with 2 double bonds).
How do you indicate the positions of double bonds in fatty acids?
Use parentheses with a triangle (Δ) and list the double bond positions in superscript, starting from the carboxyl carbon.
Example: 18:2(Δ⁹,¹²)
What is an alternative way to name polyunsaturated fatty acids?
Specify the position of the first double bond relative to the methyl carbon (ω).
Example: ω-3 fatty acids and ω-6 fatty acids.
What are the key features of commonly occurring fatty acids?
Common fatty acids:
-Have an even number of carbon atoms.
-Are unbranched.
-Contain double bonds in the cis configuration.
What is the pattern of double bonds in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)?
In PUFAs, the double bonds are methylene-bridged, following a double bond, single bond, double bond, single bond pattern.
Are double bonds in polyunsaturated fatty acids conjugated?
No, the double bonds in PUFAs are not conjugated because they are separated by a methylene (-CH₂) carbon.
Common saturated fatty acids to know (LMPSA - let my pal stay around
- 12 carbons, Laurate, bay and laurel
- 14 carbons, myristate, myrtle and nutmeg
- 16 carbons, palmitate, palm
- 18 carbons, stearate, tallow
- 20 carbons, arachidate, peanut
How are trans fatty acids formed?
Trans fatty acids are formed during the partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids, such as in margarine production, which isomerizes double bonds to create trans fats.
What is the effect of trans double bonds on fatty acid structure?
Trans double bonds allow fatty acids to adopt an extended conformation, similar to saturated fatty acids.
What are the health concerns of trans fats?
Synthetic trans fats are linked to serious negative effects on cardiovascular health.
What is the structure of saturated fatty acid chains?
Saturated fatty acid chains:
-Have extended conformations.
-Pack in an orderly way with many favorable van der Waals interactions due to tight packing.
How do chain length and saturation affect the melting point of fatty acids?
-As chain length increases, the melting point increases due to stronger collective interactions.
-Unsaturated fatty acids have a lower melting point because cis double bonds create kinks, preventing tight packing.
How does chain length affect fatty acid solubility?
As chain length increases, solubility decreases because tightly packed interactions resist separation by solvents or heat.
Why do unsaturated fatty acids have lower melting points?
-The kink from cis double bonds reduces tight packing.
-Fewer favorable interactions mean less thermal energy is required to disrupt packing, lowering the melting point.
How do double bonds affect membrane fluidity?
The lower melting temperature of unsaturated fatty acids contributes to greater fluidity in lipid membranes.
Why do trans fatty acids have higher melting points than cis forms?
The extended nature of trans fatty acids allows them to pack more regularly, resulting in higher melting points compared to cis forms.
Example:
18:1 (Cis) = 13.4°C
18:1 (Trans) = 45.0°C
What factors increase the melting temperature of fatty acids?
-Saturation: Saturated fatty acids have higher melting points because they lack double bonds and pack tightly.
-Chain length: Longer chains have higher melting temperatures due to stronger intermolecular forces.
What are triacylglycerols (TAGs)?
acid derivatives formed by linking three fatty acids to a glycerol molecule through ester linkages.
In what form are most fatty acids in biological systems found?
As
triacylglycerols (TAGs).
Why are TAGs highly hydrophobic?
TAGs are highly hydrophobic because the polar carboxylic acids of the fatty acids are tied up as less polar esters with glycerol.
What determines the melting point of TAGs?
The melting point of TAGs depends on:
-The length of their fatty acid chains.
-The degree of saturation in their fatty acid chains.
What are the types of TAGs?
-Simple TAGs: Have the same fatty acid at all three positions on glycerol.
-Mixed TAGs: Contain two or three different fatty acids attached to glycerol.
What are natural fats made of?
Most natural fats are complex mixtures of simple and mixed TAGs.
How does the composition of fatty acids affect the melting temperature of natural fats?
Fats with higher amounts of long-chain (C16 and C18) saturated fatty acids have higher melting temperatures.
What are examples of TAG-rich substances?
TAGs are major components of bulk fats and oils, including the human body’s depot fat.
Where are phosphate derivatives found?
in molecules such as phospholipids, DNA, RNA, and many proteins.
What is phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄)?
Phosphoric acid is a triprotic acid, meaning it can donate three H⁺ ions (protons).
At pH 7, it exists as an equilibrium mixture of H₂PO₄⁻ and HPO₄²⁻, collectively represented as Pi.
How does phosphorylation affect molecules?
Phosphorylation adds negative charges to molecules, increasing their water solubility.
Example: Phospholipids, DNA, RNA, and many proteins.
What types of reactions can phosphoric acid undergo?
Reaction with alcohols: Forms phosphate esters.
Hydroxyl group reacts with phosphorus, releasing water to form a phosphate ester.
Reaction with acids: Forms phosphoanhydrides.
What are glycerophospholipids (phosphoglycerides)?
Glycerophospholipids, also known as phosphoglycerides, are the primary components of biological membranes.
What is the structure of glycerophospholipids? (mention bonding)
- Carbon 1 and 2 of glycerol are ester-bonded to two fatty acids (the hydrophobic tail).
-One fatty acid is saturated, and one is unsaturated. - A highly polar or charged head group (X) is attached to carbon 3 through a phosphodiester bond.
Why are glycerophospholipids amphipathic?
Glycerophospholipids are amphipathic because they have:
-A hydrophilic head (polar or charged group).
-A hydrophobic tail (fatty acids).
What is the biological importance of glycerophospholipids?
They are a major structural component of biological membranes, contributing to their properties and function.
What is phosphatidylcholine (lecithin)?
Phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) represents a class of lipids, not just a single molecule.
What distinguishes different phosphatidylcholine molecules?
The class of phosphatidylcholine lipids varies due to different combinations of fatty acids at positions R1 and R2 on the glycerol backbone.
What happens when lipids are dispersed in water?
Lipids aggregate spontaneously to form complexes due to their amphipathic nature.
What structures do fatty acids form in water?
Fatty acids group together to form spherical micelles, with diameters ranging from 3 nm to hundreds of nm.
Why don’t phospholipids form micelles?
The hydrophobic tails of phospholipids are too bulky to pack tightly into micelles, so they form bilayers instead.
What structures do lipid bilayers form?
Lipid bilayers fold onto themselves to form liposomes or vesicles, with diameters as large as 1 micron or more.
What is the fundamental structure of the cell membrane?
The lipid bilayer is the fundamental structure of the cell membrane.
How are lipids analyzed and separated?
Lipids can be separated based on polarity using silica gel columns or thin-layer chromatography (TLC).
How are polar lipids separated in column chromatography?
In a silica gel column, polar lipids elute as solvents of increasing polarity are passed through the column.
How do lipids behave on a TLC plate?
On a TLC plate:
-Less polar lipids move farther.
-More polar lipids remain closer to the starting point.
What is the most abundant biomolecule on Earth?
Sugar (carbohydrates) is the most abundant biomolecule on Earth.
How do proteins and sugars differ in terms of building blocks?
Proteins are built from a limited number of building blocks.
Sugars have a huge variety of molecules.
Why are sugars important?
-Crucial in energy metabolism.
-Essential components of nucleic acids.
What are sugars also called?
Sugars are also known as saccharides.
What are the types of saccharides?
- Monosaccharides: Single sugar unit (e.g., glucose).
- Disaccharides: Two sugar units (e.g., sucrose).
- Oligosaccharides: Short chains of monosaccharides.
- Polysaccharides: Polymers of 20 or more sugar units (e.g., glycogen, cellulose).
What are the chemical properties of monosaccharides?
- Very water-soluble.
- Poorly soluble or insoluble in organic solvents (e.g., ether, hexane).
- Colorless.
- Most are sweet.
- Approximate formula: (CH₂O)ₙ.
What functional groups do monosaccharides contain?
-A carbonyl (C=O) group, either as an aldehyde or ketone.
-At least two hydroxyl (-C-OH) groups.
What is the simplest monosaccharide?
The simplest monosaccharide is a triose, which contains three carbon atoms.
What are the two types of trioses?
Aldotriose: Contains an aldehyde group.
Ketotriose: Contains a ketone group.
What are the names of sugars based on carbon count?
Trioses: 3 carbon atoms.
Tetroses: 4 carbon atoms.
Pentoses: 5 carbon atoms.
Hexoses: 6 carbon atoms.
Heptoses: 7 carbon atoms.
Which monosaccharides are most common in nature?
The most common monosaccharides in nature are hexoses, such as D-glucose and D-fructose.
Why do we use special representations for sugar structures?
Special representations, such as Fischer projections and perspective formulas, depict the 3-D structure of sugars on a 2-D plane.