Cholesterol & Lipid Metabolism Flashcards
Are lipids soluble in water?
= insoluble / sparingly soluble
what are lipids essential for? (3)
1) membrane biogenesis & membrane integrity
2) energy sources
3) precursors for hormones & signalling molecules
give 2 examples of non-polar lipids?
1) cholesterol esters
2) triglycerides
how are non-polar lipids transported?
in blood within lipoproteins
what are the 2 types of lipoproteins?
1) high density lipoproteins, HDL
2) low density lipoproteins, LDL
what is cardiovascular diseases, like atherosclerosis, strongly associated with? (in relation to HDL & LDL)
1) elevated LDL / particles rise in triglycerides
2) decreased HDL
what 2 causes of cardiovascular diseases?
1) diet
2) lifestyle
3) genetic factors
(e. g. familial hyper-cholesterolaemia)
what are lipoproteins?
= microscopic spherical particles
what do lipoproteins consist of?
1) hydrophobic core
2) hydrophilic coat
what does the hydrophobic core of lipoproteins contain?
eateries cholesterol & triglycerides
what does the hydrophilic coat of lipoproteins comprise?
= monolayer of;
1) amphipathic cholesterol
2) phospholipids
3) 1 or more apoproteins (apo)
what are the 4 major lipoproteins?
- what size are each of them?
1) HDL particles
- diameter 7-20nM
2) LDL particles
- diameter 20-30nM
3) very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) particles
- diameter 3-80nM
4) chylomicrons
- diameter 100-1000nM
what do HDL & LDL particles contain?
HDL
= apoA1 & apoA2
LDL
= apoB-100
what do VLDL & chylomicrons contain?
VLDL
= apoB-100
chylomicrons
= apoB-48
where do Apo-B containing lipoproteins deliver triglycerides to?
Deliver to;
1) muscle for ATP biogenesis
2) adipocytes for storage
where are chylomicrons formed and what do they do?
= formed in intestinal cells
= transport dietary triglycerides in the exogenous pathway
where are VLDL particles formed and what do they do?
= formed in liver cells
= transport triglycerides synthesised in that organ in the endogenous pathway
how do chylomicrons & VDLD differ in terms of their function?
Chylomicrons;
= transport dietary triglycerides the EXOGENOUS pathway
VLDL;
= transport triglycerides synthesised in the organ the ENDOGENOUS pathway
what are the 3 phases of the life-cycle of Apo-B containing liposomes?
- what happens in each?
1) assembly
= apoB100 in liver & apoB48 (a truncated variant) in the intestine
2) intra-vascular metabolism
= involves hydrolysis of triglyceride core
3) receptor mediated clearance
Where are VLDL particles containing triglycerides assembled and what are they assembled from?
= assembled in liver hepatocytes
= from free fatty acids derived from;
i) adipose tissue
ii) de novo synthesis
how are chylomicrons and VLDL activated?
activated by transfer of apoCII from HDL particles
what does the activation of chylomicrons and VLDL allow?
targets triglyceride delivery to adipose and muscle tissue
what is lipoprotein lipase (LPL)?
lipolytic enzyme associated with endothelium of capillaries in adipose & muscle tissue
what does ApoCII facilitate?
allows binding of chylomicrons and VLDL particles to LPL.
what does LPL do?
once VLDL and chylomicrons have bound to LPL, it hydrolyses core triglycerides to free fatty acids & glycerol which enter tissues.
what are particles depleted for triglycerides (but still containing cholesterol esters) termed?
termed chylomicron and VLDL remnants
describe the steps involved in the clearance of ApoB-containing lipoproteins?
1) LPL causes chylomicrons atond VLDL particles to become relatively enriched in cholesterol due triglyceride metabolism
2) Chylomicrons and VLDL dissociate from LPL
3) ApoCII is transferred to HDL particles in exchange for apoE which is a high affinity ligand for receptor mediated clearance. Particles are now remnants
4) Remnants return to the liver and are further metabolised by hepatic lipase
5) All apoB48-containing remnants and endocytosis50% of apo100 containing-remnants are cleared by receptor-mediated endocytosis into hepatocytes
6) Remaining apoB100-containing remnants loose further triglyceride through hepatic lipase, become smaller and enriched in cholesteryl ester and via intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL) become LDL particles lacking apoE and retaining solely apoB100
what is clearance of LDL particles dependent on?
dependent upon the LDL receptor expressed by the liver & other tissues