Which would you expect to resemble a sphingomyelin molecule more closely: a molecule of phosphatidyl choline containing two molecules of palmitate acid as its fatty acid side chains or a phosphatidyl choline molecule with one molecule of palmitate and one molecule of oleate as its fatty acid side chains?

Question

Biology

Martin Weiss

22 February, 00:48

Which would you expect to resemble a sphingomyelin molecule more closely: a molecule of phosphatidyl choline containing two molecules of palmitate acid as its fatty acid side chains or a phosphatidyl choline molecule with one molecule of palmitate and one molecule of oleate as its fatty acid side chains?

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Answers (1)

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Rhys Todd · Answer 1

A phosphatidyl choline molecule with one molecule of palmitate and one molecule of oleate as its fatty acid side chains

Explanation:

Sphingomyelin is a sphingolipid conisting of following components:

1) Phosphocholine head group

2) Sphingosine (amino alcohol containing long unsaturated hydrocarbon chain)

3) Fatty acid.

A bend is introduced due to the presence of oleate in one of the side chains that will closely resemble the shape of sphingomyelin, because the latter also has a double bond and hence a bend.

Hence a phosphatidyl choline molecule with one molecule of palmitate and one molecule of oleate as its fatty acid side chains will resemble a sphingomyelin molecule more closely.