Lecture 4 Flashcards
(51 cards)
What are some types of lipids?
- triacylglycerol (di/monoacylglycerol)
- fatty acids
- cholesterol (cholesterol esters)
- phospholipids
- vitamins ADEK
Why are lipids hard to transport?
They are hydrophobic/lipophilic so it is a problem for them to travel in the blood.
How are lipids transported in blood?
Bound to carriers
- 2% are bound to albumin (has limited capacity)
- 98% carried as lipoprotein particles
What are some typical plasma lipid concentration ranges?
Triacylglycerol: up to 2mmol/L
Cholesterol: <5mmol/L
How is the phospholipid classed?
By the polar head group. (Polar head group linked to phosphate head, it is hydrophilic)
E.g. choline attached to phosphate = phosphatidylcholine
E.g. inositol attached to phosphate = phosphatidylinositol
What is the structure of a phospholipid?
Polar Head: hydrophilic (phosphate and polar head group)
Nonpolar tails: hydrophobic (fatty acid tails)
-2 TAILS (saturated/unsaturated-double bond:kink, allows fluidity)
What structures can phospholipids form?
- bilayer sheet (membrane)
- liposomes (bilayer in a spherical structure-carry things)
- micelles (lipoprotein: single phospholipid layer)
Where do you obtain cholesterol from?
Sometimes from the diet.
Mostly synthesised in liver. (If we don’t get our 1g of cholesterol in a day, we can just synthesise it ourselves)
Why is cholesterol important?
- moderates fluidity of membrane
- precursor of steroid hormones (cortisol, oestrogen, testosterone, aldosterone: all synthesised from cholesterol)
- precursor of bile acids/salts
How is cholesterol transported?
As cholesterol ester.
Addition of fatty acid to a hydroxyl group, eliminating water.
Enzyme:
- LCAT (lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase)
- Acyl-coenzymeA cholesterol acyltransferase
What it a lipoprotein?
Micelles consisting of a single phospholipid sphere, inside is cargo (triacylglyercol/cholesterol ester/vitamins ADEK)
-apolipoproteins attached (apoproteins)
What are some types of apoproteins?
Peripheral: associated with surface of lipoprotein particle. (ApoC/apoE)
Integral: within the phospholipid membrane (apoA/apoB)
What are the 5 classes of lipoproteins?
- chylomicrons (main carrier of triacylglyerol-dietary fat)
- VLDL (very low density lipoproteins- transports fats made in the liver)
- IDL (intermediate density lipoproteins)
- LDL (low density lipoproteins)
- HDL (high density lipoproteins)
What are the main carriers of triacylglycerol?
Chylomicrons
VLDL’s
What are the main carriers of cholesterol esters?
IDL’s
LDL’s
HDL’s
What 3 lipoproteins are related/convert?
VLDL’s convert to IDL’s and then LDL’s over time.
How do you separate lipoproteins?
- flotation ultracentrifugation (HDL are most dense so furthest at the bottom-have the smallest diameter)
- particle diameter is inversely proportional to density (as density increases, diameter decreases)
What are the roles of apolipoproteins?
Structural: package water insoluable lipid
Functional: co-factor for enzymes (can bind enzyme)
-ligands for cell surface receptors
How many classes of apoproteins are there?
6 major classes
A,B,C,D,E,H
What is the role of chylomicrons and how are they metabolised?
Transport dietary fat (triacylglycerol)
- apoB-48 added before entering lymphatic system.
- travel to thoracic duct, empties into left subclavian vein where apoC and apoE are added once in blood
Why is the addition of apoC important on chylomicrons?
It binds lipoprotein lipase (LPL) on capillary walls of adipocytes and muscle
-allows degredation of cargo releasing triacylglycerols inside them (TAG’s can be used as energy in muscle/stored in adipocytes)
- when triacylglycerol content reduced to 20%, apoC dissociates leaving a CHYLOMICRON REMNANT (which returns to the liver)
- chylomicron remnants return to liver
Why is the addition of apoE to chylomicrons important?
Once the chylomicron remnants return to the liver
- LDL receptors on hepatocytes bind to apoE
- chylomicron remnant is taken into hepatocyte via receptor mediated endocytosis
- contents released and metabolised by liver via lysosomes (fatty acids, glycerol, cholesterol)
What is the function of LPL? (Lipoprotein lipase)
To release and degrade triacylglycerides to fatty acids and glycerol from the lipoprotein. (Chylomicron/VLDL)
They can then be used in muscles as energy, or recombined to form TAG stores in adipose tissue.
How is VLDL transported ?
VLDL transports fat made by liver (TAG & cholesterol made in liver) to other tissues.
-apoB100 added to VLDL, as well as apoC & apoE added from HDL’s in the blood
-VLDL binds to LPL on endothelial cells in muscle and adipose tissue and becomes depleted of TAG
(Muscle: fatty acids for energy)
(Adipose: fattty acids for resynthesis or TAG and stored)