POLYUNSATURATED PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN MEMBRANE FUNCTION

神经细胞的细胞膜中含有浓度很高的 大多数其他细胞中没有的特殊的磷酸甘油酯。 这些磷酸甘油酯含有酯化的“omega 3”不饱和脂肪。 具有6个顺式双键的酸。可能是磷酸甘油酯 有一个特殊的功能，但那个功能还没有定义。 它们还可能导致阿尔茨海默氏症等疾病，因为它们 都非常容易被氧化。我们一直在探索 磷酸甘油酯可能有不寻常的包装 有效的电信号所需的特性。 分子模型研究，几年前在我们的实验室完成的， 提高了磷酸甘油酯相互作用形成的可能性 规则、紧密排列的数组。然而，直接的物证在 目前仍缺乏对这种可能性的支持。可比 磷酸甘油酯在商业上是买不到的，所以我们不得不 从天然组织中分离出它们。这是一个非常耗时的 过程，但我们已经获得了一致的有希望的结果 以这种紧密的分子堆积排列， 根据我们的模型预测。完成后，我们的研究应该会增加 我们对神经元传导的分子基础的理解。

The membranes of neurons contain very high concentrations of special phosphoglycerides that are not found in most other cells. These phosphoglycerides contain esterified "omega 3" unsaturated fatty acids that have 6 cis double bonds. The phosphoglycerides probably have a special function, but that function has yet to be defined. They also may contribute to diseases such as Alzheimer's because they are unusually susceptible to oxidation. We have been exploring the possibility that the phosphoglycerides may have unusual packing properties which are required for effective electrical signaling. Molecular modeling studies, done several years ago in our laboratory, raised the possibility that the phosphoglycerides may interact to form regular, tightly packed arrays. However, direct physical evidence in support of this possibility is still lacking. Comparable phosphoglycerides are not commercially available, so we have had to isolate them from native tissues. This has been a very time-consuming process, but we have obtained promising results that are consistent with the kind of tight molecular packing arrangements that were predicted by our models. When completed, our study should increase our understanding of the molecular basis of neuronal conduction.