 Topic:

Lipids And Their Functions

 Submitted To:
Dr. Tariq
 Submitted By:
Iqra Umer
 Roll no.
89050
BS Botany
7TH Evening

GCUF
 Lipids and Their Functions

 Lipids comprise a group of compounds such as fats, oils, steroids and

waxes found in living organisms.

 Lipids include a diverse group of compounds that are largely nonpolar

in nature. This is because they are hydrocarbons that include mostly
nonpolar carbon–carbon or carbon–hydrogen bonds. Non-polar
molecules are hydrophobic (“water fearing”), or insoluble in water.

 Lipids perform many different functions in a cell. Cells store energy for
long-term use in the form of fats. Lipids also provide insulation from
the environment for plants and animals .

 For example, they help keep aquatic birds and mammals dry when
forming a protective layer over fur or feathers because of their water-
repellant hydrophobic nature. Lipids are also the building blocks of
many hormones and are an important constituent of all cellular
membranes. Lipids include fats, oils, waxes, phospholipids, and
steroids.

 Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes possess lipids, which play many

important roles biologically, such as membrane formation, protection,
insulation, energy storage, cell division and more.

 In medicine, lipids refer to blood fats.

 Structure of Lipids:

 Lipids are made of a triglyceride that is made from the alcohol

glycerol, plus fatty acids. Additions to this basic structure yield great
diversity in lipids. Over 10,000 kinds of lipids have been discovered so
far, and many work with a huge diversity of proteins for cellular
metabolism and material transport. Lipids are considerably smaller than
proteins.

 Examples:

 Fatty acids are one type of lipid and serve as building

blocks for other lipids as well. Fatty acids contain carboxyl (-
COOH) groups bound to a carbon chain with attached
hydrogens. This chain is water-insoluble.

 Fatty acids can be saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fatty

acids have single carbon bonds, whereas unsaturated fatty acids
have double carbon bonds. When saturated fatty acids combine
with triglycerides, this results in solid fats at room temperature.
This is because their structure causes them to pack together
tightly. In contrast, unsaturated fatty acids combined with
triglycerides tend to yield liquid oils. The kinked structure of
unsaturated fats yields a looser, more fluid substance at room
temperature.

 Phospholipids are made of a triglyceride with a phosphate

group substituted in for a fatty acid. They can be described as
having a charged head and hydrocarbon tail. Their heads are
hydrophilic, or water-loving, whereas their tails are hydrophobic
or repellant to water.

 Another example of a lipid is cholesterol. Cholesterols

arrange into rigid ring structures of five or six carbon atoms, with
hydrogens attached and a flexible hydrocarbon tail. The first ring
contains a hydroxyl group that extends into water environments
of animal cell membranes. The rest of the molecule, however, is
water insoluble.

 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are lipids that aid in

membrane fluidity. PUFAs participate in cell signaling related to
neural inflammation and energetic metabolism. They can provide
neuroprotective effects as omega-3 fatty acids, and in this
formulation, they are anti-inflammatory. For omega-6 fatty acids,
PUFAs can cause inflammation.

 Sterols are lipids found in plant membranes. Glycolipids are

lipids linked to carbohydrates and are part of cellular lipid pools .

 Functions Of Lipids:

 Lipids play several roles in organisms. Lipids make up

protective barriers. They comprise cell membranes and some of
the structure of cell walls in plants. Lipids provide energy storage
to plants and animals. Quite often, lipids function alongside
proteins. Lipid functions can be affected by changes to their
polar head groups as well as by their side chains.
 Phospholipids form the foundation for lipid bilayers, with
their amphipathic nature, that make up cell membranes. The
outer layer interacts with water while the inner layer exists as a
flexible oily substance. The liquid nature of cell membranes aids
in their function. Lipids make up not only plasma membranes, but
also cellular compartments such as the nuclear envelope,
endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus and vesicles.

 Lipids also participate in cell division. Dividing cells regulate

lipid content depending on the cell cycle. At least 11 lipids are
involved in cell cycle activity. Sphingolipids play a role in
cytokinesis during interphase. Because cell division results in
plasma membrane tension, lipids appear to help with mechanical
aspects of division such as membrane stiffness.

 Lipids provide protective barriers for specialized tissues

such as nerves. The protective myelin sheath surrounding
nerves contains lipids.

 Lipids provide the greatest amount of energy from

consumption, having more than twice the amount of energy as
proteins and carbohydrates. The body breaks down fats in
digestion, some for immediate energy needs and others for
storage. The body draws upon the lipid storage for exercise by
using lipases to break down those lipids, and eventually to make
more adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to power cells.
 In plants, seed oils such as triacylglycerols (TAGs) provide
food storage for seed germination and growth in both
angiosperms and gymnosperms. These oils are stored in oil
bodies (OBs) and protected by phospholipids and proteins called
oleosins. All of these substances are produced by the
endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The oil body buds from the ER.

 Lipids give plants the necessary energy for their metabolic

processes and signals between cells. The phloem, one of the
chief transport portions of plants (along with the xylem), contains
lipids such as cholesterol, sitosterol, camposterol, stigmasterol
and several varying lipophilic hormones and molecules. The
various lipids may play a role in signaling when a plant is
damaged. Phospholipids in plants also work in response to
environmental stressors on the plants as well as in response to
pathogen infections.

 In animals, lipids also serve as insulation from the

environment and as protection for vital organs. Lipids provide
buoyancy and waterproofing as well.

 Lipids called ceramides, which are sphingoid-based,

perform important functions for skin health. They help form the
epidermis, which serves as the outermost skin layer that protects
from the environment and prevents water loss. Ceramides work
as precursors for sphingolipid metabolism; active lipid
metabolism occurs within the skin. Sphingolipids make up
structural and signaling lipids found in the skin. Sphingomyelins,
made from ceramides, are prevalent in the nervous system and
help motor neurons survive.
 Lipids also play a role in cell signaling. In the central and
peripheral nervous systems, lipids control fluidity of membranes
and aid in electrical signal transmissions. Lipids help stabilize
synapses.

 Lipids are essential for growth, a healthy immune system

and reproduction. Lipids allow the body to store vitamins in the
liver such as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Cholesterol
serves as a precursor for hormones such as estrogen and
testosterone. It also makes bile acids, which dissolve fat. The
liver and intestines make approximately 80 percent of
cholesterol, whereas the rest is obtained from food.