glycolipids
Last reviewed 01/2018
Glycolipids are a subgroup of lipids containing sugar moieties. The most common sugar molecules in these compound lipids are glucose or galactose. They are produced in the lumen of the cellular endoplasmic reticulum and so, on fusion with the plasma membrane, they come to reside on the outside of the cell e.g. as glycocalyx.
The glycosphingolipids are a subtype of glycolipid.
Functions of glycolipids are believed to be:
- immune recognition of the cell
- role in cell receptor function