Lipids 3: Phospholipid, sphingolipids, and eicosanoids metabolism

There is one chapter for suggested reading is from Lippincott: Chapter 17: Phospholipid, Glycosphingolipid, and Eicosanoid Metabolism. The short descriptions and videos listed below are some of the big-picture, high-yield points. The reading and the class session will go into more depth and detail. The reading guides are also posted.

As I have said in other modules, this reading guide is for people who need help focusing on these types of chapters. Most students DO NOT need to use the guide.

Phospholipid, Glycosphingolipid, and Eicosanoid Metabolism. Lippincott® Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry, 8e. Medical Education: Health Library.

Phospholipid, Glycosphingolipid, and Eicosanoid Metabolism are covered in Chapter 17. 

Phospholipids 

• What is a glycerophospholipid? Be able to identify the five Glycerophospholipids. (Figure 17.1) What is cardiolipin? (Fig. 17.2) What are plasmalogens? What is platelet-activating factor (PAF)? (Fig. 17.3) What is sphingomyelin? (Fig. 17.4) 

Phospholipid synthesis 

• How are phospholipids synthesized (including phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidyl choline)? (Fig. 17.5 and 17.6) Why is choline reutilized? What is surfactant and why is it important?  How does this relate to “respiratory distress syndrome”? There is a special mechanism for producing PC in the liver form phosphatidyl serine, what is it? (Fig. 17.6) 

• What is phosphatidyl serine? What is phosphatidylinositol and how does it relate to cell signaling? How does PI relate to membrane protein anchoring? (Fig. 17.8) 

• How is sphingomyelin made, why is it important?  How does phosphatidylglycerol relate to cardiolipin? 

Phospholipid degradation 

• There are four different phospholipases.  What are they and where do they cut?

  (Fig. 17.11) Where are they present? How are sphingomyelin and phosphoglycerides degraded? How is Niemann-Pick disease related to sphingomyelin degradation?

  (Fig. 17.12) 

Glycosphingolipids 

• Be sure to understand how ceramide, glucose, galactose, and N-acetylgalactosamine are important in glycosphingolipids. (Fig. 17.14, 17.15 and 17.18) How do these macromolecules relate to neutral glycosphingolipids? 

• What is a ganglioside? Where are they found?  What is a sulfatide, and where are they found? 

• Understand the general synthesis and degradation of glycosphingolipids. Why is sulfotransferase used? How do you make sphingomyelin, sulfatide, glucocerebroside and ganglioside from ceramide? (Fig. 17.8)  

• What is sphingolipidosis? Tay-sachs disease? Gaucher disease? Metachromatic leukodystrophy? Krabbe disease? Sandhoff disease? Fabry disease? Farber disease?  All of these diseases are related to sphingolipids.  Have a good understanding of where in the degradation pathways there are problems for each one. (Fig. 17.20) 

Prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes 

• What are eicosanoids, prostaglandins, and thromboxanes? Why are they important?  How are they synthesized? How is PGH2 made? What is COX-1 and COX-2? (Fig. 17.22) 

• How can prostaglandins be inhibited? (Fig. 17.23) What are leukotrienes? How are they made?   

• Why are thromboxanes important in platelet homeostasis? (Fig. 17.24) What is prostacyclin? 

Describe the structure, synthesis, and degradation of phospholipids and explain their importance in biological functions. 

• Phosphatidylinositol in cell signaling 

• Phospholipase A2 

• Phospholipase C 

• Platelet activating factor 

• Ceramide 

Describe the structure, synthesis, and degradation of sphingolipids and explain their importance in biological functions. 

• Niemann-Pick disease 

• Sphingolipidosis 

• Tay-Sachs disease 

• Gaucher Disease 

• Metachromatic leukodystrophy 

• Sandhoff disease 

• Sphingomyelinase 

• Degradation of glycosphingolipids 

• Degradation of sphingolipids 

• Ceramide synthesis and use 

Describe the synthesis of prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes and explain their importance in biological functions. 

• Cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 (Cox 1 and Cox2) 

• 5-Lipoxygenase 

• Eicosanoids – Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Thromboxanes 

• Prostaglandins in platelet homeostasis