Membrane lipids are a group of compounds (structurally similar to fats and oils) which form the double-layered surface of all cells (
lipid bilayer
The lipid bilayer (or phospholipid bilayer) is a thin polar membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules. These membranes are flat sheets that form a continuous barrier around all cells. The cell membranes of almost all organisms and many ...
). The three major classes of membrane
lipids
Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids includ ...
are
phospholipid
Phospholipids, are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids ty ...
s,
glycolipid
Glycolipids are lipids with a carbohydrate attached by a glycosidic (covalent) bond. Their role is to maintain the stability of the cell membrane and to facilitate cellular recognition, which is crucial to the immune response and in the conne ...
s, and
cholesterol
Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell membr ...
. Lipids are amphiphilic: they have one end that is soluble in water ('polar') and an ending that is soluble in fat ('nonpolar'). By forming a double layer with the polar ends pointing outwards and the nonpolar ends pointing inwards membrane lipids can form a 'lipid bilayer' which keeps the watery interior of the cell separate from the watery exterior. The arrangements of lipids and various proteins, acting as receptors and channel pores in the membrane, control the entry and exit of other molecules and ions as part of the cell's metabolism. In order to perform physiological functions, membrane proteins are facilitated to rotate and diffuse laterally in two dimensional expanse of lipid bilayer by the presence of a shell of lipids closely attached to protein surface, called
annular lipid shell.
Biological roles
The bilayer formed by membrane lipids serves as a containment unit of a living cell. Membrane lipids also form a matrix in which
membrane protein
Membrane proteins are common proteins that are part of, or interact with, biological membranes. Membrane proteins fall into several broad categories depending on their location. Integral membrane proteins are a permanent part of a cell membrane ...
s reside. Historically lipids were thought to merely serve a structural role. Functional roles of lipids are in fact many: They serve as regulatory agents in
cell growth and
adhesion
Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another ( cohesion refers to the tendency of similar or identical particles/surfaces to cling to one another).
The forces that cause adhesion and cohesion can b ...
. They participate in the
biosynthesis of other
biomolecule
A biomolecule or biological molecule is a loosely used term for molecules present in organisms that are essential to one or more typically biological processes, such as cell division, morphogenesis, or development. Biomolecules include larg ...
s. They can serve to increase enzymatic activities of
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecule ...
s.
Non-bilayer forming lipid like monogalactosyl diglyceride (MGDG) predominates the bulk lipids in
thylakoid
Thylakoids are membrane-bound compartments inside chloroplasts and cyanobacteria. They are the site of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis. Thylakoids consist of a thylakoid membrane surrounding a thylakoid lumen. Chloroplast thyla ...
membranes, which when hydrated alone, forms reverse hexagonal cylindrical phase. However, in combination with other lipids and
carotenoids
Carotenoids (), also called tetraterpenoids, are yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, and fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, parsnips, ...
/
chlorophylls
Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...
of thylakoid membranes, they too conform together as lipid bilayers.
Major classes
Phospholipids
Phospholipids and glycolipids consist of two long, nonpolar (
hydrophobic
In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is seemingly repelled from a mass of water (known as a hydrophobe). In contrast, hydrophiles are attracted to water.
Hydrophobic molecules tend to be nonpolar and, ...
)
hydrocarbon chains linked to a
hydrophilic
A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.
In contrast, hydrophobes are ...
head group.
The heads of phospholipids are
phosphorylated and they consist of either:
*
Glycerol (and hence the name phosphoglycerides given to this group of lipids), or
*
Sphingosine (e.g.
sphingomyelin
Sphingomyelin (SPH, ˌsfɪŋɡoˈmaɪəlɪn) is a type of sphingolipid found in animal cell membranes, especially in the membranous myelin sheath that surrounds some nerve cell axons. It usually consists of phosphocholine and ceramide, or a ethano ...
and
ceramide
Ceramides are a family of waxy lipid molecules. A ceramide is composed of N-acetyl sphingosine and a fatty acid. Ceramides are found in high concentrations within the cell membrane
The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) o ...
).
Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether lipids (GDGTs) are a class of membrane lipids synthesized by archaea and some bacteria, making them useful biomarkers for these organisms in the geological record. Their presence, structure, and relative abunda ...
(GDGT) is helping
to study ancient environmental factors.
Glycolipids
The heads of glycolipids (glyco- stands for sugar) contain a
sphingosine with
one or several sugar units attached to it. The hydrophobic chains belong either to:
:*two
fatty acid
In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, ...
s (FA) – in the case of the phosphoglycerides, or
:*one FA and the hydrocarbon tail of sphingosine – in the case of sphingomyelin and the glycolipids.
Galactolipids – monogalactosyl diglyceride (MGDG) and digalactosyl diglycreride (DGDG) form the predominant lipids in higher plant chloroplast thylakoid membranes; liposomal structures formed by total lipid extract of thylakoid membranes have been found sensitive to sucrose as it turns bilayers into micellar structures.
Fatty acids
The fatty acids in phospho- and glycolipids usually contain an even number, typically between 14 and 24, of
carbon
Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—its atom making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon makes ...
atoms, with
16- and 18-carbon being the most common. FAs may be saturated or unsaturated, with the configuration of the
double bond
In chemistry, a double bond is a covalent bond between two atoms involving four bonding electrons as opposed to two in a single bond. Double bonds occur most commonly between two carbon atoms, for example in alkenes. Many double bonds exist betw ...
s nearly always ''
cis''. The length and the degree of
unsaturation of FAs chains have a profound effect on
membranes' fluidity.
Plant ''thylakoid membranes'' maintain high fluidity, even at relatively cold environmental temperatures, due to the abundance of 18-carbon fatty acyl chains with three double bonds, ''linolenic acid'', as has been revealed by 13-C NMR studies.
Phosphoglycerides
In
phosphoglycerides
Glycerophospholipids or phosphoglycerides are glycerol-based phospholipids. They are the main component of biological membranes. Two major classes are known: those for bacteria and eukaryotes and a separate family for archaea.
Structures
The t ...
, the hydroxyl groups at C-1 and C-2 of glycerol are
esterified to the
carboxyl
In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxyl ...
groups of the FAs. The C-3 hydroxyl group is esterified to phosphoric acid. The resulting compound, called
phosphatidate, is the simplest
phosphoglycerate Phosphoglycerate may refer to:
* 2-Phosphoglycerate
* 3-Phosphoglycerate
3-Phosphoglyceric acid (3PG, 3-PGA, or PGA) is the conjugate acid of 3-phosphoglycerate or glycerate 3-phosphate (GP or G3P). This glycerate is a biochemically significant ...
. Only small amounts of phosphatidate are present in membranes. However, it is a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of the other phosphoglycerides.
Sphingolipids
Sphingosine is an
amino alcohol
In organic chemistry, alkanolamines are organic compounds that contain both hydroxyl () and amino (, , and ) functional groups on an alkane backbone. The term alkanolamine is a broad class term that is sometimes used as a subclassification.
Meth ...
that contains a long,
unsaturated hydrocarbon chain. In sphingomyelin and glycolipids, the amino group of sphingosine is linked to FAs by an
amide
In organic chemistry, an amide, also known as an organic amide or a carboxamide, is a compound with the general formula , where R, R', and R″ represent organic groups or hydrogen atoms. The amide group is called a peptide bond when it is ...
bond. In sphingomyelin the primary
hydroxyl
In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydrox ...
group of sphingosine is esterified to phosphoryl
choline Choline is an essential nutrient for humans and many other animals. Choline occurs as a cation that forms various salts (X− in the depicted formula is an undefined counteranion). Humans are capable of some ''de novo synthesis'' of choline but ...
.

In glycolipids, the sugar component is attached to this group. The simplest glycolipid is
cerebroside, in which there is only one sugar residue, either
Glc or
Gal. More complex glycolipids, such as
ganglioside
A ganglioside is a molecule composed of a glycosphingolipid ( ceramide and oligosaccharide) with one or more sialic acids (e.g. ''N''-acetylneuraminic acid, NANA) linked on the sugar chain. NeuNAc, an acetylated derivative of the carbohydrate ...
s, contain a branched chain of as many as seven sugar residues.
Sterols
The best known
sterol
Sterol is an organic compound with formula , whose molecule is derived from that of gonane by replacement of a hydrogen atom in position 3 by a hydroxyl group. It is therefore an alcohol of gonane. More generally, any compounds that contain the g ...
is
cholesterol
Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell membr ...
, which is found in humans. Cholesterol also occurs naturally in other eukaryote
cell membranes
The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane (PM) or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment (th ...
. Sterols have a hydrophobic four-membered fused ring rigid structure, and a small polar head group.
Cholesterol is bio-synthesised from
mevalonate via a squalene cyclisation of
terpenoids. Cell membranes require high levels of cholesterol – typically an average of 20% cholesterol in the whole membrane, increasing locally in raft areas up to 50% cholesterol (- % is molecular ratio).
[de Meyer F, Smit B. Effect of cholesterol on the structure of a phospholipid bilayer. Proc Natl
Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106: 3654-8.
] It associates preferentially with
sphingolipids (see diagram) in cholesterol-rich
lipid raft
The cell membrane, plasma membranes of cells contain combinations of glycosphingolipids, cholesterol and protein Receptor (biochemistry), receptors organised in glycolipoprotein lipid microdomains termed lipid rafts. Their existence in cellular mem ...
s areas of the membranes in eukaryotic cells.
Formation of lipid rafts promotes aggregation of peripheral and
transmembrane proteins including docking of
SNARE
SNARE proteins – " SNAP REceptor" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts, more than 60 members in mammalian cells,
and some numbers in plants. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to mediate vesicle ...
and
VAMP proteins.
[Lang T, Bruns D, Wenzel D, Riedel D, Holroyd P, Thiele C, Jahn R. SNAREs are concentrated in cholesterol-dependent clusters that define docking and fusion sites for exocytosis EMBO J 2001;20:2202-13.] Phytosterols, such as sitosterol and stigmasterol, and
hopanoids serve a similar function in plants and
prokaryotes
A prokaryote () is a single-celled organism that lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. The word ''prokaryote'' comes from the Greek πρό (, 'before') and κάρυον (, 'nut' or 'kernel').Campbell, N. "Biology:Concepts & Conn ...
.
See also
*
Homeoviscous adaptation
Homeoviscous adaptation is the adaptation of the cell membrane lipid composition to keep the adequate membrane fluidity.
The maintenance of proper cell membrane fluidity is of critical importance for the function and integrity of the cell, essenti ...
*
Protein-lipid interaction
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Membrane Lipids
Lipids
Membrane biology