Glycolipid 1065208 223054111 2008-07-02T10:51:12Z BOTarate 5870361 robot Modifying: [[cs:Glykolipidy]] [[Image:Glycolipids.png|thumb|right|350px|Chemical structure of glycolipids]]'''Glycolipids''' are [[carbohydrate]]-attached [[lipids]]. Their role is to provide [[energy]] and also serve as [[genetic marker|markers]] for [[Cell (biology)|cellular]] recognition. They occur where a [[carbohydrate]] chain is associated with [[phospholipid]]s on the exoplasmic surface of the [[cell (biology)|cell]] [[biological membrane|membrane]]. The carbohydrates are found on the outer surface of all [[eukaryotic]] cell membranes. They extend from the phospholipid bilayer into the aqueous environment outside the cell where it acts as a recognition site for specific chemicals as well as helping to maintain the stability of the membrane and attaching cells to one another to form [[biological tissue|tissues]]. == Types of glycolipids == The following is an incomplete listing of glycolipid types. {{listdev}} * [[Galactolipid]]s * [[Sulfolipid]]s ([[SQDG]]) * [[Glycosphingolipid]]s ** [[Cerebroside]]s *** [[Galactocerebroside]]s *** [[Glucocerebroside]]s **** [[Glucobicaranateoets]] ** [[Ganglioside]]s (the most complex animal glycolipids; contain negatively charged oligosacchrides with one or more sialic acid residues; more than 40 different gangliosides have been identified; they are most abundant in nerve cells) ** [[Globoside]]s ** [[Sulfatide]]s ** [[Glycophosphosphingolipid]]s (complex glycophospholipids from fungi, including yeasts, and in plants, where they were originally called "phytoglycolipids" by Herbert Carter, et al., may comprise as complicated a set of compounds as the negatively charged gangliosides in animals. The head group of a glycolipid is composed of sugars. == See also == *[[Glycocalyx]] *[[Glycoproteins]] ==External links== * {{MeshName|Glycolipids}} [[Category:Lipids]] {{Biochemistry-stub}} {{Sphingolipids}} {{Glycolipid metabolism}} [[cs:Glykolipidy]] [[de:Glycolipide]] [[es:Glucolípido]] [[fr:Glycolipide]] [[it:Glicolipide]] [[he:גליקוליפיד]] [[lt:Glikolipidai]] [[ja:糖脂質]] [[pl:Glikolipidy]] [[pt:Glicolipídio]] [[ru:Гликолипиды]] [[fi:Glykolipidi]] [[sv:Glykolipid]] [[th:ไกลโคลิพิด]]