alleryStart learning →A diacylglycerol carrying an unmodified phosphate group is known as what?
AA phospholipid ready for the membrane bilayer
BPhosphatidylcholine, a plasma membrane lipid
CPhosphatidate, the precursor of phospholipids
DA triacylglycerol with one fatty acid removed
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Phosphatidate, the precursor of phospholipids
1. A phospholipid needs two fatty acids on a glycerol backbone plus a modified phosphate group.
2. The word modified is the key: the phosphate must be modified by an alcohol.
3. A phosphate group alone attached to a diacylglycerol does not qualify as a phospholipid.
4. That molecule is phosphatidate, also written diacylglycerol 3-phosphate.
5. Phosphatidate is the precursor from which phospholipids are made.
6. Phosphatidylcholine is a finished phospholipid found in plasma membranes, so its phosphate is already modified.
7. Calling it a triacylglycerol with a fatty acid removed ignores the phosphate entirely, which is the whole point of the molecule.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 "Biological Macromolecules", section 3.3 Lipids_
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