Lipids

Free Response

Explain at least three functions that lipids serve in plants and/or animals.

Hint:

Fat serves as a valuable way for animals to store energy. It can also provide insulation. Waxes can protect plant leaves and mammalian fur from getting wet. Phospholipids and steroids are important components of animal cell membranes, as well as plant, fungal, and bacterial membranes.

Why have trans fats been banned from some restaurants? How are they created?

Hint:

Trans fats are created artificially when hydrogen gas is bubbled through oils to solidify them. The double bonds of the cis conformation in the hydrocarbon chain may be converted to double bonds in the trans configuration. Some restaurants are banning trans fats because they cause higher levels of LDL, or “bad”cholesterol.

Why are fatty acids better than glycogen for storing large amounts of chemical energy?

Hint:

Fats have a higher energy density than carbohydrates (averaging 9kcal/gram versus 4.3kcal/gram respectively). Thus, on a per gram basis, more energy can be stored in fats than can be stored in carbohydrates. Additionally, fats are packaged into spherical globules to minimize interactions with the water-based plasma membrane, while glycogen is a large branched carbohydrate that cannot be compacted for storage.

Part of cortisol’s role in the body involves passing through the plasma membrane to initiate signaling inside a cell. Describe how the structures of cortisol and the plasma membrane allow this to occur.

Hint:

Cortisol is a small, generally hydrophobic molecule, while the phospholipids that create plasma membranes have a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails. Since cortisol is hydrophobic, it can interact with the sequestered tails of the phospholipids in the center of the plasma membrane. This, along with its small size, allows cortisol to move through the plasma membrane to the inside of the cell.