What Does glycolipid Mean
A glycolipid is a lipid that is bound to a carbohydrate . Colloquially it is often said that it is a fat associated with a sugar .
Its functions are varied, being able to participate in processes of recognition and cellular communication and in the stability of the membrane , to mention a few possibilities.
Related concepts
The lipids are organic compounds produced from the esterification of alcohols with fatty acids . When a fatty acid combines with glycerin , fat is formed .
Pasta, a great source of carbohydrates
The carbohydrates , meanwhile, are substances formed by oxygen , hydrogen and carbon , with ratio two to one in the case of the first two elements. Carbohydrates are also known as carbohydrates , carbohydrates or sugars .
Glycolipid classes
Among the various classes of glycolipids we can find cerebrosides , which have a sugar that binds to the hydroxyl group of ceramide through a β-glucosidic bond. Some have galactose, such as brakein , and are known by the name of galactocerebrosides ; They are generally found in nervous tissue , in the plasma membranes of its cells.
Other cerebrosides, on the other hand, have glucose; These are glucocerebrosides , which we can find in non-nervous tissues. An example is sulphatides , in which sulfate esterifies a galactose at carbon 3.
Another class of glycolipids are globosides , ceramide oligosaccharides that generally have N-acetylgalactosamine, glucose, and galactose among their characteristic aquacar residues . The term ologosaccharide responds to a covalent bonding molecule of between two and nine cyclic monosaccharides; the ceramide is a lipid compound of a fatty acid and a sphingosine.
On the other hand we have gangliosides , which have large polar heads with a minimum of one unit of sialic acid. The presence of this acid is the main difference between gangliosides and the previous ones. We can find them in the central nervous system , especially in the nerve endings.
More information
Glycolipids can also be defined as biomolecules (molecules that make up living organisms). In the cell membrane, glycolipids are part of the carbohydrates that only bind to lipids inside certain organelles and on the outside of the plasma membrane .
They are biomolecules of animals, plants and bacteria
Glycolipids can be found in animals , plants, and bacteria, for example. While in animals they tend to be concentrated in the plasma membrane, in plants their presence is frequent in chloroplastic membranes.
It should be noted that glycolipids lack ester and phosphate group bonds. On the other hand, when these biomolecules appear in an aqueous solution, they adopt a behavior similar to that of phospholipids .
Associated diseases
It is known as sphingolipid some complex lipids may or may not have phosphate and bind to a fatty acid to yield ceramide. If these are not broken down correctly, which is usually caused by a faulty glycoside hydrolase enzyme , then they accumulate and lead to a series of diseases called sphingolipidosis .
In general, these are inherited and their effects are linked to the enzyme in question, in addition to the severity of its defect. The most common glycolipid-associated disease is Niemann-Pick disease , which causes damage to neurons, pain, and, in some young children, death.
We can also mention Gaucher's disease , whose frequency is lower. It is suffered by individuals with insufficient glucocerebrosidase enzyme . It causes fat accumulations in the liver, spleen, bones, lungs and, less likely, the brain.