phospholipid

(noun)

any lipid like lecithin or cephalin consisting of a diglyceride combined with a phosphate group and a simple organic molecule likecholine or ethanolamine; they are important constituents of biological membranes

Related Terms

Examples of phospholipid in the following topics:

  • Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

    • Phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA) are widely used in microbial ecology as chemotaxonomic markers of bacteria and other organisms.
    • Phospholipids are the primary lipids composing cellular membranes.
    • The basic premise for PLFA analysis is that as individual organisms (especially bacteria and fungi) die, phospholipids are rapidly degraded and the remaining phospholipid content of the sample is assumed to be from living organisms.
    • As the phospholipids of different groups of bacteria and fungi contain a variety of somewhat unique fatty acids, they can serve as useful biomarkers for such groups.
    • PLFA profiles and composition can be determined by purifying the phospholipids and then cleaving the fatty acids for further analysis.

  • Elements of Life

    • Phospholipids (of an appropriate length) can form lipid bilayers, a basic component of the cell membrane .

  • Gram-Negative Outer Membrane

    • The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria invariably contains a unique component, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in addition to proteins and phospholipids.

  • Injuring the Plasma Membrane

    • They disrupt the structure of the bacterial cell membrane by interacting with its phospholipids.

  • Lipid Metabolism

    • It is commonly used as a building block of more structurally complex lipids (such as phospholipids and triglycerides) .
    • This requires the activity of hydrolytic enzymes called lipases, which release fatty acids from derivatives such as phospholipids.

  • Aerobic Hydrocarbon Oxidation

    • When grown on hydrocarbon substrate as the carbon source, these microorganisms synthesize a wide range of chemicals with surface activity, such as glycolipid, phospholipid, and others.

  • Chemical Analysis of Microbial Cytoplasm

    • The cytoplasmic membranes in bacteria are composed of a phospholipid bilayer; this layer differs from those found in eukaryotes in their lack of sterols.

  • Replicative Cycle of Influenza A

    • The mature virus buds off from the cell in a sphere of the host phospholipid membrane, acquiring hemagglutinin and neuraminidase with this membrane coat (Step 7).

  • Type II (Cytotoxic) Reactions

    • These channels disrupt the phospholipid bilayer of target cells, leading to cell lysis and death.

  • The Incorporation of Nonstandard Amino Acids

    • For instance, the addition of long hydrophobic groups can cause a protein to bind to a phospholipid membrane.