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Biophysical studies of membrane proteins/peptides. Interaction with ...

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acid. If no more groups are linked to the molecule, the resulting compound is<br />

phospatidic acid (PA), the simplest phosphoglycerolipid. In general, the phosphate<br />

group is linked to an alcohol, and together, the phosphate group and the bound alcohol<br />

shape the polar headgroup section <strong>of</strong> the molecule. Phosphoglycerolipids are classified<br />

according to the nature <strong>of</strong> the alcohol moiety in the headgroup. The most common<br />

alcohols found in phospholipids are serine, ethanolamine, choline, glycerol, and inositol<br />

(Figure I.2). The corresponding phosphoglycerolipids are named phosphatidylserine<br />

(PS), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylglycerol<br />

(PG), and phosphatidylinositol (PI). The latter can also be phosphorylated at three<br />

different positions in the inositol ring resulting in seven different combinations that<br />

correspond to seven different species as will be discussed in chapter VI.<br />

Table I.1 - Nomenclature <strong>of</strong> relevant acyl-chains<br />

Short notation<br />

Name<br />

14:0 Myristoyl<br />

14:1 (9-cis) Myristoleoyl<br />

16:0 Palmitoyl<br />

16:1 (9-cis) Palmitoleoyl<br />

18:0 Stearoyl<br />

18:1 (9-cis) Oleoyl<br />

18:2 (9,12 cis) Linoleoyl<br />

18:3 (6,9,12–cis) γ-Linolenoyl<br />

18:3 (9,12,15–cis) α-Linolenoyl<br />

20:0 Arachidoyl<br />

20:4 (5,8,11,14–cis) Arachidonoyl<br />

22:0 Behenoyl<br />

22:1 (13-cis) Erucoyl<br />

The phosphate group in phosphoglycerolipids is always negatively charged, and the<br />

net charge <strong>of</strong> the molecule is dictated by the charge <strong>of</strong> the alcohol moiety. Thus PA, PG,<br />

PS, PI, and phosphorylated PI are negatively charged, while PC and PE present a net<br />

neutral charge due to the positively charged amine in choline and ethanolamine. PC is<br />

the most abundant phosphoglycerolipid in the plasma <strong>membrane</strong>, whereas PE is in<br />

general the major component in bacterial <strong>membrane</strong>s.<br />

4

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