User:Brittney Nchako/sandbox

Here are some things that I think would make this article better. Any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I think more information about the structure of glycerophospholipids needs to be given especially in regards to it's amphiphilLic nature. A diagram showing the two fatty acid chains, the phosphate group attached to the glycerol backbone would be good to further explain the structure. Also more information about the metabolism needs to be explained. How it is metabolised in prokaryotes and euckaryotes have been stated but an explanation to this processes have not been given. I would like to add more explanation to that. Again, a lot of emphasis were laid on the examples of glycerophospholipids but not much on it's uses in memberanes and emulsification which I think need more explanation. The order of the article seems good except for that I think the nomenclature should come before the structure and the metabolism should be placed before it's uses. Brittney Nchako (talk) 15:55, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

Functions and Use in membranes

One of the main functions of glycerophospholipid is to serve as a structural component of cell membranes. They serve as the main building blocks of the cell membrane in their formation of the lipid bilayer. Their amphiphillic nature is the major contributor to this effect, which orients the polar heads and non-polar tails into a conformation that results in the formation of the lipid bilayer. The cell membrane seen under the electron microscope consists of two identifiable layers, or "leaflets", each of which is made up of an ordered row of glycerophospholipid molecules. The composition of each layer can vary widely depending on the type of cell.

• For example, in human erythrocytes the cytosolic side (the side facing the cytosol) of the plasma membrane consists mainly of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol.
• By contrast, the exoplasmic side (the side on the exterior of the cell) consists mainly of phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, a type of sphingolipid.

Each glycerophospholipid molecule consists of a small polar head group and two long hydrophobic chains. In the cell membrane, the two layers of phospholipids are arranged as follows:

• the hydrophobic tails point to each other and form a fatty, hydrophobic center
• the ionic head groups are placed at the inner and outer surfaces of the cell membrane

This is a stable structure because the ionic hydrophilic head groups interact with the aqueous media inside and outside the cell, whereas the hydrophobic tails maximize hydrophobic interactions with each other and are kept away from the aqueous environments. The overall result of this structure is to construct a fatty barrier between the cell's interior and its surroundings.

Apart from their function in cell memberanes, they also function in other cellular processes such as signal induction and transport. They influence protein function as well. For example, they are important constituents of lipoproteins (soluble proteins that transport fat in the blood) hence affect their metabolism and function.

Use in emulsification[edit source] Glycerophospholipids are generally non polar and would aggregate in water however, they can act as an emulsifying agent to promote dispersal of one substance into another. This is sometimes used in candy making and ice-cream making.