Lipids and Membranes

Dr Connie Luk

Brunel University London

 Learning outcomes

• What are lipids?

• Functions of lipids
• Fatty acids, triacylglycerols (TAGs) and phospholipids
• Membrane lipids types (phospholipids, glycolipids- sphingolipids and
cholesterol)
• Structures, compositions of plasma membrane and fluid mosaic model
• Types of Membrane proteins

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 Lipids
1 2a

• Insoluble in water and hydrophobic

• Fat and oil
2b
• Diverse molecules
• Fat (Triacylgcerols)
• Phospholipids 3
• Wax
• Steroids (fused rings)
4

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 Functions of Lipids

• Long term energy storage as

Triacylglycerols (TAGs) as lipid
droplets in adipocytes.
• Structural components of cell
membranes
• Insulation/ mechanical protection
• Essential hormones as chemical
messengers (Steriods)

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 Fatty acids
• key constituents of lipids

• Long linear non-polar hydrocarbon chain (16 or 18C ) with

polar carboxylic ends

• Saturated fatty acids:

• no double bonds between carbons in the chain

• Unsaturated fatty acids:

• one or more double bond(s) between carbons in the chain

• Mono- unsaturated = 1 double bond

• Poly- unsaturated=> 1 double bonds

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 Structure and properties of Fatty acids

- Saturated fatty acids

- packed orderly
- High melting point
Carboxylic acid
- Unsaturated fatty acid
- Natural FA in cis Hydrocarbon chain
- with kinks not packed
orderly
- Lower melting points

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 Cis trans configuration

• Natural unsaturated FA in cis

configuration
• The double bonds in cis cis trans
configuration
• kink the chain

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 Naturally occurring Fatty acids

Palm kernel oil

Nutmeg oil
Palm oil

Even
numbers
and
unbranched Palm oil
Olive oil
Soy bean oil
Fish oil
liver

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 Nomenclature

Oleate/Oleic acid
cis-Δ9-octadecenoate omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in diet
18:1 (Δ9) cis-9-octadecenoic acid lower cardiovascular disease?
Number of
carbons Position of one double
double bond bond
Number of 18 carbons
double 20:5(Δ5,8,11,14,17) Eicosapentaenoic acid
bonds
Number of
carbons
Position of 20 carbons 5 double
Number of
double bonds
double
bonds
bonds

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 Triacylglycerols (TAGs)

• 3 fatty acids bind to glycerol backbone

via ester bonds
• Storage form as fats
• Stored in adipocytes as fat (solids) in
animals
• Fat (Solids) or Oil (Liquids) TAGs

H2O

Glycerol Acid Alcohol Ester

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 TAGs in adipocytes

• TAGs as fat droplets in adipocytes

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 Membrane Lipids

• Phospholipids
• Glycolipid
• cholesterol

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 Phospholipids
• Membrane lipid bilayer

• polar head and hydrophobic tail

• 1 Unsaturated fatty acids
• Head -Charged Polar phosphate
(PO4-) group

Glycerol phospholipid
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 Phospholipids

• Phosphate head may be esterified with an

OH from an R group (phosphodiester bond)
• Serine
• Inositol
• Choline
• Ethanoamine

• Phosphotidyl

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 Phosphotidyl inositol
• phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs)

• Tethered intracellular plasma membrane

• Involved in cell signalling pathways

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 Phospholipids
1. Glycerol backbone
• Glycerol phospholipid (plasma
membranes)

Glycerol phospholipids
2. Sphingosine backbone (Amino alcohol)
• Sphingomyelin(nervous system)
• One FA binds sphingosine backbone via
the NH2
• +PO4 and choline => sphingomyelin
(protective insulated myelin in neuronal
cells)
Sphingomyelin
• Polar head and non-polar tails

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 Glycolipids

• Cell membranes
• One FA binds sphingosine backbone via the
NH2
• Glycosphongolipids
• +Sugar=> glycolipids part of cell Glycosphingolipid/ glycolipid
membrane for Cell cell adhesion

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 Cholesterol
• Four fused rings steroid

• Maintain cell membrane fluidity and

firmness when temperature changes.

• At low temp, membrane molecules

are rigid, cholesterol disturb close
packing of phospholipids to help
membrane shift.

• At high temp, molecules are spread

apart, cholesterol fill the gaps to
regular fluidity.

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 Lipid Membrane arrangement

• Complex lipid-based structures that

form flexible sheets
• External-Cell membrane
• Internal- ER, golgi
• Lipids, proteins, carbohydrates

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 Lipid bilayer states

Head groups

Tails

Tails

Head groups

Liquid-ordered state Liquid-disordered state

semisolid fluid

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 Membrane fluidity

- Membrane fluidity
- Important biological
functions
- depends on
- cholesterol content
- unsaturated fatty acids

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 Lipid compositions and asymmetry

• Vary between cytoplasmic

membrane types
• Asymmetric
• Membrane lipids can diffuse
laterally quickly but not
energetically favourable from
one leaflet to another (flip flop)

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 Asymmetry

• Cell membrane

• Sphingolipids (sugar moieties)

for cell cell interaction in upper
leaflet

• Phospholipid subclasses in
inner leaflet

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 Lipid Rafts

• Localised regions of plasma

membrane rich in cholesterols
and complex lipids (30-40% of
membrane)

• V packed but float freely

(fluidity) for membrane protein
trafficking( assemble signalling
molecules for signal
transduction)

• Form domains of different lipid

compositions important for
membrane protein functions
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 Membrane proteins

• Membrane lipids and proteins can diffuse laterally

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 Fluid mosaic model

Brunel University London Membrane lipids and proteins can diffuse laterally
 Functions of Lipid proteins

- carry out membrane processes

- Pumps
- Channels
- Receptors
- Enzymes

- Membrane lipids form a barrier for polar Ion channels/ pumps

molecules

- 75% protein content in inner membranes

of mitochondria

- 18% protein contents in myelin, insulating

membrane of nerve cells

Receptor binding

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 Types of membrane proteins

• Integral membrane proteins

• Lipid-linked membrane
proteins
• Peripheral membrane
proteins

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 Integral membrane proteins

Some membrane proteins bind to only one bilayer leaflet

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 Integral membrane proteins

• 7 hydrophobic a helices traverse the

membrane
• Eg. GPCR-
• Binds hormone to activate cell
signalling pathways

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 Lipid linked (anchored) membrane proteins

GPI: Glycosyl phosphatidylinositol

Brunel University London Covalently attached lipids anchor membrane proteins to the lipid bilayer
 Peripheral membrane proteins

• Appendages loosely bound

to the surface temporarily
associations to proteins or
lipids.

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 Summary

• Function of lipids
• Fatty acid, FA bind Glycerol or sphingosine backbones
• Triglycerides (TAGs) and phospholipids
• Membrane lipids types (phospholipids, glycolipids and cholesterol)
• Structures, compositions of plasma membrane and fluid mosaic model
• Types of Membrane proteins

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