phospholipids
Sign in to savethumb|Phospholipid arrangement in cell membranes. thumb|Phosphatidylcholine is the major component of [[lecithin. It is also a source for choline in the synthesis of acetylcholine in cholinergic neurons.]]
AI overview
Phospholipids are fatty molecules with a phosphate group attached that form the basic structural layer of cell membranes, arranged so their water-loving heads face outward and their water-repelling tails face inward. One important type called phosphatidylcholine makes up most of lecithin and helps produce acetylcholine, a chemical messenger in the brain and nervous system.
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Article
18 sectionsContents
- Phospholipids in biological membranes
- Arrangement
- Dynamics
- Main phospholipids
- Diacylglyceride structures
- Phosphosphingolipids
- Applications
- Simulations
- Characterization
- Analysis
- Phospholipid synthesis
- Sources
- In signal transduction
- Food technology
- Phospholipid derivatives
- Abbreviations used and chemical information of glycerophospholipids
- See also
- References
thumb|Phospholipid arrangement in cell membranes. thumb|Phosphatidylcholine is the major component of [[lecithin. It is also a source for choline in the synthesis of acetylcholine in cholinergic neurons.]]
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 typically have omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA integrated as part of the phospholipid molecule. The phosphate group can be modified with simple organic molecules such as choline, ethanolamine or serine.