Multiple Choice
Tay-Sachs disease is caused by an inability to degrade:
A.) Sphingosine.
B) Gangliosides.
C) Ceramide.
D) Dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline.
E) Carbohydrates.
10. Lipids
Sphingoglycolipids
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Which of the following is true regarding a ganglioside?
A
It has 3 hydrocarbon tails.
B
It is the most abundant membrane lipid molecule.
C
It is a sterol lipid.
D
It contains oligosaccharides with one or more sialic acid residues.
E
It is found in myelin sheath cells.
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the structure of gangliosides: Gangliosides are glycosphingolipids that consist of a ceramide base linked to an oligosaccharide chain. The oligosaccharide chain often contains one or more sialic acid residues, which are a key feature of gangliosides.
Evaluate option A: Gangliosides do not have 3 hydrocarbon tails. They have a single fatty acid tail attached to the ceramide backbone, which is typical for sphingolipids.
Evaluate option B: Gangliosides are not the most abundant membrane lipid molecules. Phospholipids are generally more abundant in cell membranes.
Evaluate option C: Gangliosides are not sterol lipids. Sterol lipids, such as cholesterol, have a different structure and function compared to gangliosides.
Evaluate option D: Gangliosides contain oligosaccharides with one or more sialic acid residues, which is a defining characteristic of these molecules. This makes option D the correct statement regarding gangliosides.
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