Lecture Materials
Unit II: Structure and Function of Biological Molecules
Lecture 6 - Lipids and Membranes
Lipids are biological molecules that share the common physical characteristic of being insoluble in water. Since water is the most abundant component of living cells, this leads to some interesting consequences. A good example are the membrane lipids, which when exposed to water will spontaneously form membranes. These membranes define the boundary of a cell, and for eukaryotic cells, the various organelles, with their specialized functions, within the cell. Many of the important activities that takes place in a living cell occur either across or within these membranes.
- Lecture Overheads
- Part I - Draft
- Part I - Draft
- Reading: Moran et al. Chapter 9: Lipids and Membranes
- Supplemental Questions