Canadian Medical Guide > Chemicals and Drugs > Lipids > Membrane Lipids Terms and Definitions




Membrane Lipids

Medical Definition: Lipids, predominantly phospholipids, cholesterol and small amounts of glycolipids found in membranes including cellular and intracellular membranes. These lipids may be arranged in bilayers in the membranes with integral proteins between the layers and peripheral proteins attached to the outside. Membrane lipids are required for active transport, several enzymatic activities and membrane formation.
Guide Notes: /biosyn /physiol permitted
Previously Indexed: Cell Membrane (1966-1976),Lipids (1966-1976),Membranes (1968-1976),Phospholipids (1966-1976)
Membrane Lipids Categories.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Lipid Bilayers - Layers of lipid molecules which are two molecules thick. Bilayer systems are frequently studied as models of biological membranes.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Phospholipids - Lipids containing one or more phosphate groups, particularly those derived from either glycerol (phosphoglycerides see GLYCEROPHOSPHOLIPIDS) or sphingosine (SPHINGOLIPIDS). They are polar lipids that are of great importance for the structure and function of cell membranes and are the most abundant of membrane lipids, although not stored in large amounts in the system.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Proteolipids - Protein-lipid combinations abundant in brain tissue, but also present in a wide variety of animal and plant tissues. In contrast to lipoproteins, they are insoluble in water, but soluble in a chloroform-methanol mixture. The protein moiety has a high content of hydrophobic amino acids. The associated lipids consist of a mixture of GLYCEROPHOSPHATES; CEREBROSIDES; and SULFOGLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS; while lipoproteins contain PHOSPHOLIPIDS; CHOLESTEROL; and TRIGLYCERIDES.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Sphingolipids - A class of membrane lipids that have a polar head and two nonpolar tails. They are composed of one molecule of the long-chain amino alcohol sphingosine (4-sphingenine) or one of its derivatives, one molecule of a long-chain acid, a polar head alcohol and sometimes phosphoric acid in diester linkage at the polar head group. (Lehninger et al, Principles of Biochemistry, 2nd ed)

Membrane Lipids Medical Definitions and Terms

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