Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry: Chapter 10 Key Terms

fatty acid

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

polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)

A fatty acid with more than one double bond, generally nonconjugated.

triacylglycerol

An ester of glycerol with three molecules of fatty acid; also called a triglyceride or neutral fat.

lipases

Enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of triacylglycerols.

phospholipid

A lipid containing one or more phosphate groups.

glycolipid

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 the glycerol, and a polar alcohol is attached through a phosphodiester linkage to C-3.

ether lipid

Implies an ether bridge between an alkyl group and an unspecified alkyl or aryl group, not necessarily glycerol.

plasmalogen

A phospholipid with an alkenyl ether substituent on C-1 of glycerol.

galactolipid

A type of glycolipid whose sugar group is galactose.

sphingolipid

An amphipathic lipid with a sphingosine backbone to which are attached a long-chain fatty acid and a polar alcohol.

ceramide

A family of waxy lipid molecules composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid.

sphingomyelin

A type of sphingolipid found in animal cell membranes, especially in the membranous myelin sheath that surrounds some nerve cell axons.

glycosphingolipid

An amphipathic lipid with a sphingosine backbone to which are attached a long-chain fatty acid and a polar alcohol.

cerebroside

A sphingolipid containing one sugar residue as a head group.

globoside

A type of glycosphingolipid with more than one sugar as the side chain of ceramide.

ganglioside

A sphingolipid containing a complex oligosaccharide as a head group; especially common in nervous tissue.

sterol

A lipid containing the steroid nucleus.

cholesterol

A sterol biosynthesized by all animal cells, because it is an essential structural component of all animal cell membranes.

prostaglandin (PG)

One of a class of polyunsaturated, cyclic eicosanoid lipids that act as paracrine hormones.

thromboxane (TX)

Any of a class of eicosanoid lipids with a six-membered ether-containing ring; involved in platelet aggregation during blood clotting.

leukotriene (LT)

Any of a class of noncyclic eicosanoid signaling lipids with three conjugated double bonds; they mediate inflammatory responses, including smooth muscle activity.

lipoxin (LX)

One of a class of hydroxylated linear derivatives of arachidonate that act as potent antinflammatory agents.

vitamin

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

vitamin D₃

Also known as cholecalciferol, one of the five forms of vitamin D. Cholecalciferol is a secosteroid, that is, a steroid molecule with one ring open.

cholecalciferol

Also known as vitamin D₃, one of the five forms of vitamin D. Vitamin D₃ is a secosteroid, that is, a steroid molecule with one ring open.

vitamin A₁ (all-trans-retinol)

The process of vision relies on the light-induced isomerisation of this chromophore.

vitamin E

A group of eight fat soluble compounds that include four tocopherols and four tocotrienols.

tocopherol

Any of several forms of vitamin E.

vitamin K

A group of structurally similar, fat-soluble vitamins that the human body requires for complete synthesis of certain proteins that are prerequisites for blood coagulation and which the body also needs for controlling binding of calcium in bones and other tissues.

dolichol

Refers to any of a group of long-chain mostly unsaturated organic compounds that are made up of varying numbers of isoprene units terminating in an α-saturated isoprenoid group, containing an alcohol functional group.

polyketide

A large group of secondary metabolites which either contain alternating carbonyl and methylene groups, or are derived from precursors which contain such alternating groups.

lipidome

The full complement of lipid-containing molecules in a cell, organ, or tissue under a particular set of conditions.