2.8 Membrane Lipids: Sphingolipids

• Sphingoglycolipids

  • Contains both a fatty acid and a carbohydrate component attached to a sphingosine molecule.
• Cerebrosides

  • Simplest form of sphingoglycolipids.
  • Contain a single monosaccharide unit–either glucose or galactose.
  • Primarily found in the brain (7% of dry mass)

  
• Gangliosides

  • Complex sphingoglycolipid
  • Contain a branched chain of up to 7 monosaccharide residues
  • Occur in the gray matter of the brain as well as in the myelin sheath of neurons.
• What structure is shown in the photo?

  A) Cerebroside

  
• What structure is shown in the photo?

  A) Ganglioside