So now that we know what fatty acids are, in this video, we're going to talk about how fatty acids can be used to build another type of lipid called Triglycerides. And so Triglycerides, as their name implies with the tri prefix here, these are lipids with 3 fatty acid chains. And so the tri- is a prefix that means 3, and that's why they have 3 fatty acid chains. Now these 3 fatty acid chains in a triglyceride are going to be covalently linked to a single glycerol molecule. Now fatty acids are going to be linked to the glycerol molecule via dehydration synthesis reactions. And so we know that dehydration synthesis reactions are used to build up a molecule. So let's take a look at our image down below to get a better understanding of this triglyceride. So notice over here on the far left what we're showing you is a molecule in purple that represents the glycerol molecule, the single glycerol molecule we were discussing up above here. And then also notice over here in yellow, we have these 3 fatty acids, and so we can go ahead and put 3 fatty acids here. And so notice that the fatty acids are all separate from one another here in this image and the glycerol is also separate. And so if we want to combine these separate units together and build a larger structure, then of course we're going to need a dehydration synthesis reaction. And so notice that each of these chains, these fatty acid chains here, can undergo a dehydration synthesis reaction to release 3 water molecules, one for each of the chains that interacts with each of these, components here on the glycerol. And so you can see the OHs here, that react with the Hs here to form water molecules, and there are 3 of them that get formed. And once again, that's why we have the 3 out in front. Now notice over here on the far right, after the dehydration synthesis reactions, we've now combined and connected these, 3 fatty acids covalently to the glycerol molecule. And so, recall that when we have 3 fatty acid chains covalently linked to a single glycerol molecule, we've then created a triglyceride. And so over here on the right, we have the Triglyceride. Now, of course, if we wanted to break down the triglyceride into its separate components like what we see over here, then, of course, we're going to need a hydrolysis reaction. And so the hydrolysis reaction, is going to use water to break apart the Triglyceride into its smaller components. And Triglycerides are going to be a main source of fats. This is how fats are stored in animal cells and the fats that we have are stored as triglycerides. And so this here concludes our introduction to triglycerides. And once again, we'll be able to get some practice applying these concepts as we move forward in our course. So I'll see you all in our next video.
Table of contents
- 1. Introduction to Biology2h 40m
- 2. Chemistry3h 40m
- 3. Water1h 26m
- 4. Biomolecules2h 23m
- 5. Cell Components2h 26m
- 6. The Membrane2h 31m
- 7. Energy and Metabolism2h 0m
- 8. Respiration2h 40m
- 9. Photosynthesis2h 49m
- 10. Cell Signaling59m
- 11. Cell Division2h 47m
- 12. Meiosis2h 0m
- 13. Mendelian Genetics4h 41m
- Introduction to Mendel's Experiments7m
- Genotype vs. Phenotype17m
- Punnett Squares13m
- Mendel's Experiments26m
- Mendel's Laws18m
- Monohybrid Crosses16m
- Test Crosses14m
- Dihybrid Crosses20m
- Punnett Square Probability26m
- Incomplete Dominance vs. Codominance20m
- Epistasis7m
- Non-Mendelian Genetics12m
- Pedigrees6m
- Autosomal Inheritance21m
- Sex-Linked Inheritance43m
- X-Inactivation9m
- 14. DNA Synthesis2h 27m
- 15. Gene Expression3h 20m
- 16. Regulation of Expression3h 31m
- Introduction to Regulation of Gene Expression13m
- Prokaryotic Gene Regulation via Operons27m
- The Lac Operon21m
- Glucose's Impact on Lac Operon25m
- The Trp Operon20m
- Review of the Lac Operon & Trp Operon11m
- Introduction to Eukaryotic Gene Regulation9m
- Eukaryotic Chromatin Modifications16m
- Eukaryotic Transcriptional Control22m
- Eukaryotic Post-Transcriptional Regulation28m
- Eukaryotic Post-Translational Regulation13m
- 17. Viruses37m
- 18. Biotechnology2h 58m
- 19. Genomics17m
- 20. Development1h 5m
- 21. Evolution3h 1m
- 22. Evolution of Populations3h 52m
- 23. Speciation1h 37m
- 24. History of Life on Earth2h 6m
- 25. Phylogeny2h 31m
- 26. Prokaryotes4h 59m
- 27. Protists1h 12m
- 28. Plants1h 22m
- 29. Fungi36m
- 30. Overview of Animals34m
- 31. Invertebrates1h 2m
- 32. Vertebrates50m
- 33. Plant Anatomy1h 3m
- 34. Vascular Plant Transport2m
- 35. Soil37m
- 36. Plant Reproduction47m
- 37. Plant Sensation and Response1h 9m
- 38. Animal Form and Function1h 19m
- 39. Digestive System10m
- 40. Circulatory System1h 57m
- 41. Immune System1h 12m
- 42. Osmoregulation and Excretion50m
- 43. Endocrine System4m
- 44. Animal Reproduction2m
- 45. Nervous System55m
- 46. Sensory Systems46m
- 47. Muscle Systems23m
- 48. Ecology3h 11m
- Introduction to Ecology20m
- Biogeography14m
- Earth's Climate Patterns50m
- Introduction to Terrestrial Biomes10m
- Terrestrial Biomes: Near Equator13m
- Terrestrial Biomes: Temperate Regions10m
- Terrestrial Biomes: Northern Regions15m
- Introduction to Aquatic Biomes27m
- Freshwater Aquatic Biomes14m
- Marine Aquatic Biomes13m
- 49. Animal Behavior28m
- 50. Population Ecology3h 41m
- Introduction to Population Ecology28m
- Population Sampling Methods23m
- Life History12m
- Population Demography17m
- Factors Limiting Population Growth14m
- Introduction to Population Growth Models22m
- Linear Population Growth6m
- Exponential Population Growth29m
- Logistic Population Growth32m
- r/K Selection10m
- The Human Population22m
- 51. Community Ecology2h 46m
- Introduction to Community Ecology2m
- Introduction to Community Interactions9m
- Community Interactions: Competition (-/-)38m
- Community Interactions: Exploitation (+/-)23m
- Community Interactions: Mutualism (+/+) & Commensalism (+/0)9m
- Community Structure35m
- Community Dynamics26m
- Geographic Impact on Communities21m
- 52. Ecosystems2h 36m
- 53. Conservation Biology24m
4. Biomolecules
Lipids
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To study the effect of lipids on heart disease, researchers fed mice diets including cholesterol (Control), cholesterol with trans fatty acids (Trans), or cholesterol with cis fatty acids (Cis). After 8 weeks, they examined them for atherosclerosis—the narrowing of arteries that is a leading cause of heart attacks. Data from their observations of atherosclerotic lesions are provided below (* means 𝑃<0.05; see BioSkills 3). What do these data reveal concerning lipid structure and heart disease in mice?