Lysophosphatidylcholine

Lysophosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid .

structure

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) has a glycerine as its basic structure. This is connected to the alcohol choline via a phosphate group on the first carbon atom . The phosphate group forms a phosphodiester bond. In contrast to most other phospholipids in biomembranes , there is no esterification with a fatty acid on the second carbon atom , so that this carbon atom has only one hydroxyl group . The third carbon atom of the glycerol residue is esterified with a fatty acid.

Biological importance

Lysophosphatidylcholine produced when digesting lecithin by phospholipase A₂ , the key component of the venom of snakes, wasps and bees. LPC acts as a powerful detergent and destabilizes the membranes of many cells.

literature

• Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Lubert Stryer : Biochemistry. 6 edition, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg 2007. ISBN 978-3-8274-1800-5 .
• Donald Voet, Judith G. Voet: Biochemistry. 3rd edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York 2004. ISBN 0-471-19350-X .