What is "chlorosulfolipid"

n. (context biochemistry English) Any of several lipids consisting of chlorinated alkyl sulfates

Chlorosulfolipids are a class of naturally occurring molecules that are characterized as being stereochemically complex. These polychlorinated structures have been isolated from the freshwater alga Ochromonas danica, and are proposed to serve a structural role within the membranes of this species. The high extent of chlorination in these natural products is suspected to be influenced by the concentration of chlorine ion in the surrounding environment. In addition to being integral components of algal membranes, chlorosulfolipids are also known to inhibit protein kinases. Furthermore, some of these complex molecules that have been isolated from toxic mussels are associated with diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. The lipid malhamensilipin A, isolated by the groups of Slate and Gerwick in 1994, displayed both antimicrobial activity as well as an inhibition of the pp60 protein tyrosine kinase.