MSI_000024217

PC(O-16:0/18:2(9Z,12Z)) is an ether lipid. Ether lipids are lipids in which one or more of the carbon atoms on glycerol is bonded to an alkyl chain via an ether linkage, as opposed to the usual ester linkage.Phosphatidylcholines are a class of phospholipids which incorporate choline as a headgroup. They are a major component of biological membranes and can be isolated from either egg yolk (in Greek lekithos) or soy beans from which they are mechanically extracted or chemically extracted using hexane.Phosphatidylcholines are such a major component of lecithin, that, in some contexts, the terms are sometime used as synonyms. However, lecithin extract consists of a mixture of phosphatidylcholine and other compounds. It is also used along with sodium taurocholate for simulating fed- and fasted-state biorelevant media in dissolution studies of highly-lipophilic drugs. Phosphatidylcholine is a major constituent of cell membranes, and also plays a role in membrane-mediated cell signalling.Phospholipase D catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine to form phosphatidic acid (PA), releasing the soluble choline headgroup into the cytosol. Some medical researchers are experimenting with using Phosphatidylcholine in a type of injection that will break down fat cells; to be used as an alternative to liposuction known as Injection lipolysis. (Wikipedia)While most phospholipids have a saturated fatty acid on C-1 and an unsaturated fatty acid on C-2 of the glycerol backbone, the fatty acid distribution at the C-1 and C-2 positions of glycerol within phospholipids is continually in flux, owing to phospholipid degradation and the continuous phospholipid remodeling that occurs while these molecules are in membranes. PCs can be synthesized via three different routes. In one route, choline is activated first by phosphorylation and then by coupling to CDP prior to attachment to phosphatidic acid. PCs can also synthesized by the addition of choline to CDP-activated 1,2-diacylglycerol. A third route to PC synthesis involves the conversion of either PS or PE to PC.