alleryStart learning →A phospholipid molecule is built from which three parts?
AGlycerol, two fatty acids and a phosphate head group
BGlycerol, four fused rings and a sugar head group
CRibose, two fatty acids and a phosphate head group
DGlycerol, one fatty acid and two phosphate groups
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Glycerol, two fatty acids and a phosphate head group
1. A phospholipid consists of glycerol, two fatty acids and a phosphate linked head group.
2. The glycerol backbone has three carbons, with fatty acids on carbons 1 and 2 and the phosphate group on the third.
3. Four fused carbon rings describe cholesterol, a different membrane lipid, so that option swaps one lipid for another.
4. Ribose is the five carbon sugar of a nucleoside and has no place in a phospholipid.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 5 "Structure and Function of Plasma Membranes", section 5.1 Components and Structure_
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