Question

Consider the following classes of molecules.

    Glycerol

    Fatty acid

    Alcohol with higher molecular weight

    Phosphate (in the form of phosphodiester)

Which classes of molecules are present in a sphingolipid?

		Glycerol
		Glycerol, Fatty acid
		Phosphate
		Fatty acid, Alcohol with high molecular weight
		Glycerol, Fatty acid, Phosphate

Answer 1

Sphingolipids are a class of lipids, These are large molecules with sphingnoid base backbone called as spignosine, found in the membrane of living organisms. The role is protection.

They are of different types based on the structure

a) Glycosphingolipids: They have a sugar unit attached to sphignosine.

b) Sphingomyelins: These have phosphate group attached to sphignosine

c) Ceramides: these have fatty acid attached to sphignosine [The simplest of all kind of sphignolipids]

So basically they have Fatty acid, glycerol and phoshate groups