Crossword clues for phospholipid
Wiktionary
n. (context chemistry English) any lipid, such as lecithin or cephalin, consisting of a diglyceride combined with a phosphate group and a simple organic molecule such as choline or ethanolamine; they are important constituents of biological membranes
WordNet
n. any of various compounds composed of fatty acids and phosphoric acid and a nitrogenous base; an important constituent of membranes
Wikipedia
Phospholipids are a class of lipids that are a major component of all cell membranes. They can form lipid bilayers because of their amphiphilic characteristic. The structure of the phospholipid molecule generally consists of two hydrophobic fatty acid "tails" and a hydrophilic phosphate "head", joined together by a glycerol molecule. The phosphate groups can be modified with simple organic molecules such as choline.
The first phospholipid identified in 1847 as such in biological tissues was lecithin, or phosphatidylcholine, in the egg yolk of chickens by the French chemist and pharmacist, Theodore Nicolas Gobley. Biological membranes in eukaryotes also contain another class of lipid, sterol, interspersed among the phospholipids and together they provide membrane fluidity and mechanical strength. Purified phospholipids are produced commercially and have found applications in nanotechnology and materials science.
Usage examples of "phospholipid".
At seventy degrees and below, the phospholipids in the glia in the brain freeze.
Among the regular domes of the rank and file of phospholipid molecules, he caught occasional glimpses of an irregular mass, which he guessed to be a protein molecule that ran through the thickness of the cell membrane.
Now he remembered what Peerssa had told him about phospholipids in the glia around brain nerves.
Morrison, with some effort, allowed for his own miniaturization and grasped the fact that the bulges were the ends of molecules (of phospholipids, he assumed) that made up the cell membrane.