BCH 303
Metabolism of Lipids
Course Lecturers:
Dr. (Mrs.) R.N. Ugbaja
Mr. O.T. Somade
Mr. E.I. Ugwor
Course synopsis
• Week 1: Structure and function of different classes of lipids
• Week 2:
• Week 3:
What are Lipids?
• Lipids, together with carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids, are one of the
four macromolecules.
• However, lipids are not defined by the presence of specific functional groups,
as carbohydrates are, but by a physical property—solubility.
• Biological lipids are a chemically diverse group of compounds, the common
and defining feature of which is their insolubility in water.
• They have the common property of being
1. relatively insoluble in water and
2. soluble in nonpolar solvents such as ether and chloroform.
General properties and classes of Lipids?
Class activity
1. Discuss the general functions of
Lipids Adapted from https://chem.libretexts.org/
Classes of Lipids
• Simple lipids: Esters of fatty acids with various alcohols.
Fats and oils: Esters of fatty acids with glycerol. Oils are fats in the
liquid state.
Waxes: Esters of fatty acids with higher molecular weight
monohydric alcohols.
Adapted from https://chem.libretexts.org/
Biological functions of simple lipids
Triacylglycerols (TAG)
Do plants
• Stored fuels, i.e., energy sources have fats?
• Insulation
• Cushioning internal organs
Waxes
• Stored fuels, i.e., energy sources
• Water repellents
• Protection from dehydration.
Classes of Lipids
• Complex lipids: Esters of fatty acids containing groups in addition to an
alcohol and a fatty acid.
Phospholipids: Lipids containing, in addition to fatty acids and an
alcohol, a phosphoric acid residue. They frequently have nitrogen-
containing bases and other substituents, eg, in
glycerophospholipids the alcohol is glycerol and in
sphingophospholipids the alcohol is sphingosine.
Glycolipids (glycosphingolipids): Lipids containing a fatty acid,
sphingosine, and carbohydrate.
Other complex lipids: Lipids such as sulfolipids and aminolipids.
Lipoproteins may also be placed in this category.
Biological functions of complex lipids
• Phospholipids are major components of
membrane lipids
• Glycosphingolipids on cell surfaces are sites
of biological recognition (e.g., blood groups).
• Lipoproteins are major transporter of
cholesterol.
• Signal Transduction
Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry
Adapted from Lehninger Principles of
Biochemistry
Classes of Lipids
• Precursor and derived lipids:
Precursor lipids: They occur as such or
are released from the other two major
groups because of hydrolysis, i.e., that is
are the building blocks for simple and
complex lipids. Examples are
hydrocarbons, fatty acids, glycerol, fatty
aldehydes, ketone bodies, and cholesterol.
Derived lipids: Examples include These
include eicosanoids, steroids - lipid-
soluble vitamins and hormones.
Class activity
2. Discuss the functions of these derived
lipids
Adapted from https://chem.libretexts.org/
Class activity
2. Identify the structure below
Fatty acids
• Lipids are formed from fatty acids, which are
carboxylic acids with 4-36 carbon atoms connected in
a long, unbranched chain
• Fatty acids occur mainly as esters in natural fats and
oils but do occur in the unesterified form as free fatty
acids, a transport form found in the plasma.
• Fatty acids that occur in natural fats are usually
straight-chain derivatives containing an even number
of carbon atoms.
• The chain may be saturated (containing no double
bonds) or unsaturated (containing one or more double
bonds).
Fatty acids nomenclature
• A simplified nomenclature for fatty specifies the
chain length and number of double bonds,
separated by a colon.
• For example, the 16-carbon saturated palmitic
acid is abbreviated 16:0, and the 18-carbon
oleic acid, with one double bond, is 18:1.
• The positions of any double bonds are
specified by superscript numbers following
(delta); a 20-carbon fatty acid with one double
bond between C-9 and C-10 (C-1 being the
carboxyl carbon) and another between C-12
and C-13 is designated 20:2(9,12).
• The most commonly occurring fatty acids have
even numbers of carbon atoms in an
unbranched chain of 12 to 24 carbons.
Take home
1. Critically compare TAG and glucose as storage source. What are
the advantages and disadvantages of each?
2. In a tabular format, identify the classes of lipids, give two specific
examples. For these examples, provide the following:
• Structure
• Justification (why do these examples belong to that particular
class)
• Organism(s) where these examples can be found
• Function(s) in the organisms listed.
Course synopsis
• Week 1: Structure and function of different classes of lipids
• Week 2: Biological membranes
• Week 3:
Biological membranes
Class activity
1. Discuss the need for membranes
Room A
Room B
Biological membranes
• Plasma membranes enclose and define the
borders between the inside and the outside of
cells.
• They are typically composed of dynamic bilayers
of phospholipids into which various other lipid
soluble molecules and proteins have also been
embedded.
• These bilayers are asymmetric—the outer leaf
being different than the inner leaf in lipid
composition and in the proteins and
carbohydrates that are displayed to either the
inside or outside of the cell.
A typical eukaryotic cell
Structural organization of Biological membranes
• The fluid mosaic model of the
plasma membrane describes the
plasma membrane as a fluid
combination of lipids (cholesterol
and phospholipids), and proteins.
• Carbohydrates attached to lipids
(glycolipids) and to proteins
(glycoproteins) extend from the
outward-facing surface of the
membrane. The fluid mosaic model of
the plasma membrane
• The basic building block of biological
membranes is the lipid bilayer.
Components of Biological membranes
Membrane Lipids
Phospholipids:
major constituents and the basic
structure of the cell membrane
The fatty acid tails of phospholipids
face inside, away from water,
whereas the phosphate group faces
outside, hydrogen bonding with
water.
Major driving force = hydrophobic
interactions
Components of Biological membranes
Membrane Lipids
Cholesterol:
Contains a hydrocarbon tail is linked to the steroid
at one end, and a hydroxyl group is attached at
the other end.
Oriented parallel to the fatty acid chains of the
phospholipids, and the hydroxyl group interacts
with the nearby phospholipid head groups.
Absent from prokaryotes but is found to varying
degrees in virtually all animal membranes.
Essential function = determinant of membrane
fluidity
Components of Biological membranes
Membrane Proteins
Proteins make up the second major component of
plasma membranes.
Integral proteins: integrated completely into the
membrane structure, and their hydrophobic
membrane-spanning regions interact with the
hydrophobic region of the phospholipid bilayer.
Peripheral proteins: are found on either the exterior
or interior surfaces of membranes; and weakly or
temporarily associated with the membranes. They can
be attached (interact with) either to integral
membrane proteins or simply interact weakly with the
phospholipids within the membrane.
Components of Biological membranes
Membrane carbohydrates
Found on the exterior surface of cells and are
bound either to proteins (glycoproteins) or
to lipids (glycolipids).
Consist of 2–60 monosaccharide units and
can be either straight or branched.
Along with peripheral proteins, they form
specialized sites on the cell surface that allow
cells to recognize each other.
Components of Biological membranes
Functions of Biological membranes
Act as a barrier by blocking some compounds from
moving in and out of the cell.
Be selectively permeable in order to transport
specific compounds into and out of the cell.
Receive, sense, and transmit signals from the
environment to inside of the cell.
Project "self" to others by communicating identity
to other nearby cells.
Each Type of Membrane Has Characteristic
Lipids and Proteins
Membrane transport
Membrane transport
Passive transport:
Passive transport system do not require energy but the movement of molecules are by a
concentration gradient, hydrophobicity, size and charge of the molecules.
It means that in this process molecules move from higher concentration to lower
concentration.
Three types of passive transport processes are:
Simple diffusion is a random movement of small molecules along with a concentration
gradient through a semipermeable membrane. Water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, ethanol and
urea passes easily.
Facilitated diffusion is the movement and diffusion of large molecules like ions and
sucrose through a transport protein. The glucose and amino acids are transported from the
bloodstream and diffuses into the cell.
Osmosis is dependent on solute concentration where the movement of water molecules is
from high concentration to low concentration through a selectively permeable membrane.
Osmosis mainly occurs in large intestine where the foods processed are passed from
Membrane transport
Active transport:
Active transport system is against the concentration gradient and requires cellular energy for
the movement of molecules which moves from the region of lower concentration to higher
concentration.
It maintains the balance concentrations of ions and molecules in the cell.
Active transport process are of mainly two types:
Primary active transport uses ATP as a chemical energy to move across the biological
membrane, e.g., sodium – potassium pump utilizes ATP as an energy source to pump Na + out
of the cell and K+ inside the cell.
Secondary active transport uses the stored energy of electrochemical gradients to move
the molecule against their concentration gradient. It is called secondary transport because the
energy is not directly used i.e., there is no direct coupling of ATP and only depends upon the
electrochemical potential difference formed by the pumping of ions.
Membrane transport
Secondary active transport In secondary active transport system,
when two molecules are transported in
An electrochemical gradient, created by primary active the same direction, the transport protein
transport, can move other substances against their is called a symporter and if two
concentration gradients, a process called co-transport or molecules move in anti – direction, then it
secondary active transport is called antiporter.
Membrane in health and disease
From non – functional ion channels , serious disease like Cystic fibrosis is
caused from the mutation in the CFTR gene. It lacks the transport of Cl– ions
out of the cell and produced thick dehydrated mucus and results in breathing
difficulty and chest infections.
Tetanus neurotoxin and botulinum neurotoxin enters to the cell via endocytosis
and blocks the neurotransmission resulting in prolonged skeletal muscle
contraction.
Membrane proteins have made possible in designing effective drugs due to its
structural and functional knowledge. Pore forming proteins are used as a drug
in the treatment of influenza virus infection.
Class discussion
The ratio of membrane thickness compared to the size of an average
eukaryotic cell is much greater compared to that of a balloon stretched with
air. To think that the boundary between life and nonlife is so small, and
seemingly fragile, more so than a balloon, suggests that structurally the
membrane must be relatively stable.
Discuss why cellular membranes are stable.
Reference materials
• Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry
• Harper’s Illustrated Biochemistry
• https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Lipi
ds/23.01%3A_Structure_and_Classification_of_Lipids
• https://byjus.com/biology/lipids/
•
