GLYCOLIPIDS

The glycolipids are yet another division of lipids that is utilised by the human as well as other forms of life.
Glycolipids are named in reference to their chemical structure: practically all glycolipids are derivatives of
ceramides. Ceremides are a fatty acid bonded or connected to the amino alcohol sphingosine. In fact, although
the class of lipids we discussed called phospholipids, are chemically different from glycolipids, the
phospholipid we call sphingomyelin, also is derived from ceramides. Glycolipids, however, are different as
well, because they contain no phosphates in comparison to phospholipids. What also puts glycolipids in a class
of their own is the fact that the fat is connected to a sugar molecule. Hence, the name glycolipid (glyco=sugar,
lipid=fat). Therefore, glycolipids are simply fats that are bonded to sugars. So, since glycolipids are built from
sphingosine, fat, and a sugar, we can be more exact in our naming and call them "glycosphingolipids".
In common with the phospholipids, the glycolipids are an essential part of cell membranes. Glycolipids also
help determine the blood group of an individual. In regards to blood grouping, glycolipids act as receptors at the
surface of the red blood cell. This is important as we can use this principle to classify our blood type, which is
critical during transfusions, etc .In microorgansims, certain glycolipids even help ensure their survival by
"tricking" our immune system into thinking they are not foreign. This helps them to evade immune survelllence.
On the other hand, some viruses, bacteria (eg., cholera) use glycolipids on their cell surface as well. This helps
the immune system destroy and clear the pathogen from the body.

Types of glycolipids
Cerebrosides-Cerebroside (from cerebro=brain) are glycolipids that are found primarily in the brain and
peripheral (other areas of the body) nervous tissue. There are different types of glycolipids, each characterised
by the sugar that they are bonded to and the type of fatty acid that is used to bond to the sugar. Sugars such as
galactose and glucose are bonded to the lipid. When a galactose or glucose molecule is bonded to the lipid, the
glycolipid is called a galactocerebroside or glucocerebroside, respectively.
Ceramide oligosaccharides-Just as we discussed ceremides, another group of glycolipids is termed the ceremide
oligosaccharides (ceremide="ceremide", oligo="short", saccharide="sugar"). Basically, these are ceremides
with short chains of sugars, in comparison to cerebrosides with only "one" sugar attached.
Sulfoglycosphingolipids-These cerebrosides are also called sulfatides, They are simply cerebrosides with a
sulfate residue on the sugar portion of glycolipid. This long name simply implies a cerebroside that contains a
sulfated galactose. As you can see, galactosyl, contains the word "galact" meaning the sugar galactose. The
difference here, is that the galactose has sulfate added to it,

Synthesis and degradation of glycolipids

Synthesis of glycolipids occurs with the help of enzymes that sequentially add sugars to the lipid. When the
lipids are required to be broken down, enzymes in the lysosome of the cell help to remove the sugar subunits.
This is important medically, because a deficiency of any of the enzymes involved in these processes cause an
accumulation of a particular glycolipid that cannot be further broken down. When this accumulation occurs, the
excess lipid remains trapped in the plasma or the cells and deposits in various organ/tissue systems and
unfortunately, damages them.