Lipids: structure and classification: Difference between revisions

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Alejandro Porto, Eric Martz, Joel L. Sussman, Karsten Theis

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 <StructureSection load='Insert PDB code or filename here' size='500' side='right' caption='' scene='60/603296/Acidosgrasos/1'>
 :'''Lipids'''.
-    Lipids are organic biomolecules that always contain C, H and O. They can also contain N and P. Chemically, they constitute a heterogeneous group. However, all of them share the hydrocarbon nature of at least part of their molecule, which explains why they are hydrophobic or, in some cases, amphipathic substances.
 *'''Fatty acids'''.-
-Fatty acids are commonly found as building blocks of lipids, or covalently bound to cofactors or carrier proteins. In nature, small amounts are also found in the free state. Fatty acids are simply organic acids that have a long hydrocarbon chain (the most common from 12 to 24 carbon atoms).
+**<scene name='60/603296/Acidosgrasos/6'>Palmitic acid</scene>, a saturated 16 carbon fatty acid. Notice its <scene name='60/603296/Acidosgrasos/3'>carboxyl group</scene>, and its  <scene name='60/603296/Acidosgrasos/5'>long hydrocarbon chain</scene>.
-        In the window on the right we can see the molecular structure of <scene name='60/603296/Acidosgrasos/6'>palmitic acid</scene>, a saturated fatty acid of 16 C. In it we can distinguish its <scene name='60/603296/Acidosgrasos/3'>carboxyl group</scene>, and its <scene name='60/603296/Oleico/2'>oleic acid</scene>, in which all the bonds of the skeleton are single bonds (from hence the denomination saturated).
+**<scene name='60/603296/Oleico/1'>Oleic acid</scene>, a ''monounsaturated'' 18 carbon fatty acid. Most monounsaturated natural fatty acids are <scene name='60/603296/Oleico/2'>cis-unsaturated</scene>.
-        Below we can see the structure of <scene name='60/603296/Oleico/2'>coleic acid</scene>, a 16 C monounsaturated fatty acid with a double bond between carbons 9 and 10 of the hydrocarbon chain. Natural monounsaturated fatty acids are mostly cis-unsaturated, given the configuration of the substituents around the mentioned double bond.
+**<scene name='60/603296/Linoleico/1'>Linoleic acid</scene>, a ''polyunsaturated'' 18 carbon fatty acid. This fatty acid has <scene name='60/603296/Linoleico/2'>two double bounds</scene> with ''cis'' configuration.
-        Fatty acids can have more than one double bond, and are then called polyunsaturated. <scene name='60/603296/Linoleico/1'>Linoleic acid</scene>, with <scene name='60/603296/Linoleico/2'>two double bounds</scene> in cis configuration in the positions shown in the image, is one of them.
+**<scene name='60/603296/Linolenico/2'>Linolenic acid</scene>, another  ''polyunsaturated'' 18 carbon fatty acid with <scene name='60/603296/Linolenico/4'>three double bounds</scene>
-        There are also polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as linolenic acid, which have <scene name='60/603296/Linolenico/4'>three double bounds</scene>.
 *'''Saponifiable lipids'''.-
 **<scene name='60/603296/Triglicerido/1'>Triglycerides</scene>.- Zoom on <scene name='60/603296/Triglicerido/6'>triglyceride structure</scene>.