Fatty Acid Structure
This functional group defines fatty acids.
What is a carboxylic acid?
These bonds link fatty acids to glycerol.
What are ester bonds?
This property describes molecules with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions.
What is amphipathic?
This lipoprotein is often called “good cholesterol.”
What is HDL?
This molecule is the precursor for all steroid hormones.
What is cholesterol?
This term describes fatty acids with no double bonds.
What are saturated fatty acids?
This is the primary function of triacylglycerols.
What is energy storage?
This structure forms spontaneously from phospholipids in aqueous environments.
What is a lipid bilayer?
This lipoprotein delivers cholesterol to tissues.
What is LDL?
This cellular compartment is the primary site of early cholesterol synthesis.
What is the cytosol (and smooth ER)?
This configuration of double bonds introduces kinks in fatty acid chains.
What is cis configuration?
This protein is a carrier of free fatty acids for transport through the blood system.
What is albumin?
This component modulates membrane fluidity in animal cells.
What is cholesterol?
This is the major family of proteins that make up the LDL particle.
What are Apo proteins?
This hormone class is synthesized in the adrenal cortex and regulates salt and water balance.
What are mineralocorticoids (e.g., aldosterone)?
This naming system counts carbons from the methyl end of the fatty acid.
What is omega (ω) nomenclature?
This enzyme family is responsible for break down of triacylglycerols into fatty acids.
What are lipases?
Fatty acids can diffuse across membranes freely due to this physical property.
What is hydrophobicity?
These lipoproteins transport exogenous triglycerides (dietary fats) from the intestine.
What are Chylomicrons?
This is a main female developmental hormone.
What is estrodiol.
This structural feature determines melting temperature and membrane fluidity in lipids.
What is degree of unsaturation and chain length?
This explains why triacylglycerols are more energy-dense than carbohydrates.
What is their highly reduced carbon content (more C–H bonds → more energy upon oxidation)?
This explains how temperature changes alter membrane fluidity at the molecular level.
What is increased kinetic motion vs packing interactions (van der Waals forces) influenced by saturation?
This structural difference between HDL and LDL explains their functional roles in cholesterol transport.
What is protein-to-lipid ratio and particle density affecting receptor interactions and transport direction?
This explains why steroid hormones have slower but longer-lasting effects compared to peptide hormones.
What is regulation of gene transcription rather than rapid signaling cascades?