LIFE 120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Glycerol, Phospholipid, Hydrophile
Document Summary
Lipids are a diverse group of hydrophobic molecules. Lipids: the most biologically important lipids are fats (fatty acids) phospholipids, and steroids. Important role in cell signaling: for synthesis of steroid hormones and as messenger molecules. Structure of fatty acids: long hydrocarbon chains terminating in a. The unifying feature of lipids is having little or no affinity for water. Lipids are hydrophobic because they consist mostly of hydrocarbons, which form nonpolar covalent bonds. The most biologically important lipids are fats, phospholipids, and steroids. Important roles in energy storage, as components of membranes, and in cell signaling. Fats are constructed from 2 types of smaller molecules: glycerol and fatty acids. Glycerol is a 3-carbon alcohol with a hydroxyl group attached to each carbon. A fatty acid consists of a carboxyl group attached to a long carbon skeleton. Fatty acids vary in length (# of carbons) and in number and locations of double bonds.
