biochem10

fatty acid

a long-chain aliphatic carboxylic acid found in natural fats and oils; also a component of membrane phospholipids and glycolipids

polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)

a fatty acid with more than one double bond, generally nonconjugated

triacylglycerols

an ester of glycerol with three molecules of fatty acid; also called a triglyceride of neutral fat

lipases

enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of triacylglycerols

phospholipid

a lipid containing one or more phosphate groups

glycolipids

a lipid containing a carbohydrate group

glycerophospholipid

an amphipathic lipid with a glycerol backbone; fatty acids are ester-linked to C-1 and C-2 of glycerol, and a polar alcohol is attached through a phosphodiester linkage to C-3

ether lipid

lipid in which one of the two acyl chains is attached to gycerol in ether, rather than ester, linkage

plasmalogen

a phospholipid with an alkenyl ether substituent on the C-1 of glycerol

sphingolipid

an amphipathic lipid with a shingosine backbone to which are attached a long-chain fatty acid and a polar alcohol

cerebroside

sphingolipid containing one sugar residue as a head group

gangliosides

sphingolipids containing complex oligosaccharides as head groups; especially common in nervous tissue

sterols

a class of lipids containing the steroid nucleus

prostaglandins

a class of lipid-soluble, hormonelike regulatory molecules derived from arachidonate and other polyunsaturated fatty acids

thromboxanes

a class of molecules derived from arachindonate and involved in platelet aggregation during blood clotting

leukotrienes

a family of molecules derived from arachindonat; muscle contractants that constrict air passages in the lungs and are involved in asthma

vitamin

an organic substance required in small quantities in the diet of some species; generally functions as a component of a coenzyme

tocopherols

forms of vitamin E

lipidome

the full complement of lipids in a cell or tissue under a particular set of conditions