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The fatty acids in phospho- and glycolipids usually contain an even number, typically between 14 and 24, of carbon atoms, with 16- and 18-carbon being the most common. FAs may be saturated or unsaturated, with the configuration of the double bonds nearly always cis.
Fatty acids are connected to this backbone, so that the lipid as a whole has a polar head and a non-polar tail. The lipid bilayer of the cell membrane consists of two layers of lipids, with the inner and outer surfaces of the membrane made up of the polar head groups, and the inner part of the membrane made up of the non-polar fatty acid tails.
[2]: 634 Fatty acids are made by fatty acid synthases that polymerize and then reduce acetyl-CoA units. The acyl chains in the fatty acids are extended by a cycle of reactions that add the acetyl group, reduce it to an alcohol, dehydrate it to an alkene group and then reduce it again to an alkane group.
The fatty chains in phospholipids and glycolipids usually contain an even number of carbon atoms, typically between 16 and 20. The 16- and 18-carbon fatty acids are the most common. Fatty acids may be saturated or unsaturated, with the configuration of the double bonds nearly always "cis".
The primary saponifiable lipids are free fatty acids, neutral glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and glycolipids. [ 1 ] By comparison, the non-saponifiable class of lipids is made up of terpenes, including fat-soluble A and E vitamins, and certain steroids, such as cholesterol.
Membrane fluidity is affected by fatty acids. More specifically, whether the fatty acids are saturated or unsaturated has an effect on membrane fluidity. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds in the hydrocarbon chain, and the maximum amount of hydrogen. The absence of double bonds decreases fluidity. Unsaturated fatty acids have at least ...
Fatty acylated proteins are proteins that have been post-translationally modified to include the covalent attachment of fatty acids at certain amino acid residues. [11] [12] The most common fatty acids that are covalently attached to the protein are the saturated myristic (14-carbon) acid and palmitic acid (16-carbon). Proteins can be modified ...
Glycolipids provide the most extreme example of asymmetry in the lipid bilayer. [10] Glycolipids perform a vast number of functions in the biological membrane that are mainly communicative, including cell recognition and cell-cell adhesion. Glycoproteins are integral proteins. [2] They play an important role in the immune response and ...