Fatty Acid Composition
- Phospholipids contain glycerol, a phosphate group, and two fatty acid chains
- Fatty acids can vary in two ways:
- Length of the hydrocarbon chain
- The fatty acid chain may be saturated or unsaturated
- Saturated fatty acids
- Every carbon atom is bonded to 4 other atoms, meaning that each carbon in the chain is linked to 2 hydrogen atoms
- The chain can be said to be 'saturated' with hydrogens; it contains as many hydrogen atoms as it possibly can
- Saturated fatty acids are straight, allowing the molecules to pack together tightly
- They therefore have higher melting points, so their presence in cell membranes allow membranes to maintain stability at higher temperatures
- Every carbon atom is bonded to 4 other atoms, meaning that each carbon in the chain is linked to 2 hydrogen atoms
- Unsaturated fatty acids
- Contain one or more double bonds between carbon atoms
- One double bond - mono-unsaturated
- More than one double bond = polyunsaturated
- Unsaturated fatty acids have bends, or kinks, in the chain, meaning that they cannot pack together so tightly
- Unsaturated fatty acids have lower melting points so they allow membranes to be fluid and flexible
- Contain one or more double bonds between carbon atoms
Fatty acids can be saturated (top) or unsaturated (bottom); this affects the shape, and therefore the properties of the fatty acid
Fatty acids & regulating membrane fluidity
- Bacteria do not regulate their internal temperature, so their cell membranes are subject to temperature change
- This means that they require mechanisms to overcome temperature fluctuations
- Some bacteria species produce enzymes called fatty acid desaturases which increase the number of double bonds within a fatty acid as part of the membrane; this helps to maintain membrane fluidity, particularly during exposure to colder temperatures
- Deep-sea marine organisms have to contend with extreme temperatures
- Correlations have been found between sea temperature and membrane-fluidising lipid components, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids
- Plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, have shown fatty acid unsaturation pathways that appear to have key roles in the acclimatisation of membranes to high temperature