Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Defining Substrate Specificities for Lipase and Phospholipase Candidates
Published on: November 23, 2016
Phosphatidyl-(N-acyl)-ethanolamine. A lipid component of mammalian epidermis
Abstract:
A lipid present in the granular cells of mammalian epidermis was identified as phosphatidyl-(N-acyl)-ethanolamine. The structure was deduced from the ratio of phosphorus : nitrogen : glycerol : fatty acid esters : total fatty acid (1 : 0.94 : 0.97 : 2.1 : 2.9), from analyses of the products of alkaline and acid hydrolyses and from its infrared spectrum. Conclusive evidence was obtained by a direct comparison of the chromatographic properties, degradation products and infrared spectrum of the isolated lipid with those of synthetic 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(N-palmitoyl)-ethanolamine. The fatty acids attached to the ethanolamine were predominantly saturated (69% of total) and hexadecanoic acid was the major component (41% of total). Phosphatidyl-(N-acyl)-ethanolamine was hydrolysed by a phospholipase C (Bacillus cereus) to diacylglycerol, inorganic phosphorus and N-acylethanolamine. Evidence for the presence of N-acylethanolamine in granular cells and in stratum corneum suggested that an epidermal phospholipase C may be involved in the catabolism of phosphatidyl-(N-acyl)-ethanolamine.
Related Concept Videos
Membrane Lipids
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Lipids as Anchors
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains the...
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
Membrane Lipids
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...

