Chapter 12: Lipids and Membranes

Matching
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)
H)
I)
J)
K)
L)
M)

amphiphilic
vitamin D
arachidonic acid
phosphatidylethanolamine
steroid
gangliosides
phosphatidylserine
glycerophospholipids
sphingomyelin
cholesterol
triacylglycerols
plasmalogen
nonpolar

1. ______ are the fats and oils that constitute the lipids of the human diet.
Ans: K
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
2. The ______ are the major lipid components of the cell membrane.
Ans: H
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
3. The myelin sheath is particularly rich in ______.
Ans: I
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
4. A steroid-derived hormone, ______, regulates Ca2+ metabolism.
Ans: B

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
5. ______ is found exclusively in the cytosolic leaflet of the membrane.
Ans: G
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
6. Members of the ______ family have four fused, nonplanar rings.
Ans: E
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
7. A glycerophospholipid in which the C1 substituent is linked as an ether rather than an ester is
called a ______.
Ans: L
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
8. Glycosphingolipids with complex carbohydrate head groups that often serve as cellular
receptors are ______.
Ans: F
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
9. With respect to polarity, membrane lipids can be described as ______.
Ans: A
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification, 12-2. Properties of Lipid Aggregates
10. Eicosanoids are derived from ______.
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification

Multiple Choice
11. Which of the following statements does not apply to fatty acids?
A) They most commonly have 14-20 carbons.
B) They usually have an even number of carbons.
C) Double bonds, when they occur, are usually conjugated.
D) In higher plants and animals, C16 and C18 species predominate.
E) None of the above.
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
12. Rank the melting points of the following fatty acids from highest to lowest:
(1) cis-oleate (18:1)
(2) trans-oleate (18:1)
(3) linoleate (18:2)
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

1 > 2 > 3
2 > 1 > 3
2 > 3 > 1
3 > 1 > 2
none of the above

Ans: B
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
13. Which of the following lipid types is the least polar?
A) Triacylglycerols
B) Glycerophospholipids
C) Sphingolipids
D) Gangliosides
E) none of the above
Ans: A
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
14. Cholesterol is commonly found in which of the following organisms?
A) mammals
B) plants

C) yeast and fungi

D) bacteria
E) all of the above
Ans: A
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
15. Which of the following is most likely to form a liposome?
A) Fatty acids
B) Triacylglycerols
C) Glycerophospholipids
D) Steroids
E) None of the above
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-2. Properties of Lipid Aggregates
16. Which of the following is true about membrane proteins?
A) They are nonpolar.
B) They readily undergo transverse diffusion (every few seconds or so).
C) They form a rigid, solid structure.
D) Lateral diffusion occurs unless other cellular components restrict their movements.
E) They are all glycoproteins.
Ans: D
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes
17. Which of the following statements describes integral membrane proteins?
A) They do not completely span the lipid bilayer.
B) They are easily removed by changes in pH or high salt.
C) Amino acids that contact the membrane are hydrophobic.
D) The proteins tend to be water-soluble.
E) None of the above.
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes
18. Which experiment listed below did NOT verify the fluid mosaic model of membranes?

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

erythrocyte anchoring studies

mutarotation experiments
cell fusion experiments
fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments
none of the above

Ans: B
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes
19. Which of the following proteins are synthesized on free ribosomes?
A) mitochondrial proteins
B) secretory proteins
C) ER proteins
D) lysosomal proteins
E) none of the above
Ans: A
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Section: 12-4. Membrane Assembly and Protein Targeting
20. The protein that forms a transmembrane pore that allows preproteins to pass through the ER
membrane is called the ______.
A) signal recognition particle
B) signal peptidase
C) docking protein
D) translocon
E) none of the above
Ans: D
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-4. Membrane Assembly and Protein Targeting
21. Unsaturated fatty acids:
A) are commonly found in plants and animals
B) usually contain a double bond with cis stereochemistry
C) sometimes contain multiple double bonds
D) have lower melting points than the analogous saturated fatty acids
E) all of the above
Ans: E
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification

22. Triglycerides contain more metabolic energy per unit weight than glycogen because:
A) the carbohydrate glycerol is readily metabolized
B) anhydrous glycogen cannot be cleaved by glycogen phosphorylase
C) fatty acids are less oxidized than carbohydrates
D) triglycerides have a higher average molecular mass
E) none of the above
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
23. Adipocytes are cells that are specialized:
A) for the synthesis of triglycerides.
B) for the oxidative metabolism of fatty acids.
C) for the storage of glycogen.
D) for the synthesis of sphingolipids.
E) for the storage of short-term energy sources.
Ans: A
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
24. The sphingolipids:
A) contain a glycerol core.
B) are the precursors of the estrogens.
C) contain the amino acid sphingosine.
D) include the cerebrosides.
E) are found solely on inner leaflets of the cell membrane.
Ans: D
Level of Difficulty: Esasy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
25. While fatty acids are most often formed by the condensation of __-carbon units, isoprenoids
are assembled from __-carbon units.
A) 5, 3
B) 4, 2
C) 2, 3
D) 2, 5
E) 3, 4
Ans: D

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
26. Fatty acid anions assemble into _______ in aqueous solution.
A) lipid bilayers
B) two dimensional membranes
C) liposomes
D) micelles
E) solvent-filled vesicles
Ans: D
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-2. Properties of Lipid Aggregates
27. Cold blooded animals modulate the fatty acid composition of their membranes as a function
of temperature in order to:
A) adjust the membrane thickness and thus the thermal insulating power
B) insure the ready availability of fatty acids for metabolism
C) maintain membrane fluidity
D) compensate for decreasing cholesterol solubility
E) all of the above
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-2. Properties of Lipid Aggregates
28. Which of the following amino acids is most likely to be found on the exterior, membranecontacting, surface of an integral membrane protein?
A) Gly
B) Gln
C) Glu
D) Ala
E) Asp
Ans: D
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes
29. Transmembrane proteins:
A) are found predominantly in bilayer membranes containing transunsaturated fatty acid
residues
B) are almost always oriented in only one direction with respect to the membrane

C) are always constructed from bundles of -helices.

D) allow all small (mw<300) hydrophilic molecules to pass freely in and out of the cell
E) none of the above
Ans: B
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes
30. Which of the following is (are) not found as covalently attached anchors in lipid-linked
proteins:
A) isoprenoid groups
B) fatty acids
C) cholesterol and other sterols
D) glycosylphosphatidyl inositol groups
E) all of the above
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes
31. Which of the following classes of proteins is most difficult to remove from a bilayer
membrane?
A) extrinsic proteins
B) lipid-linked proteins
C) transmembrane proteins
D) peripheral proteins
E) hydrophilic proteins
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes
32. The biconcave shape of erythrocytes is maintained by:
A) a rigid membrane skeleton composed of polymerized myoglobin
B) a high concentration of cholesterol and saturated lipids
C) a flexible skeleton composed primarily of spectrin
D) tightly-packed anion channel proteins
E) an inflexible crosslinked spectrin skeleton
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-4. Membrane Assembly and Protein Targeting

33. The _________ model describes the cell membrane as an assortment of integral protein
icebergs floating in a lipid sea.
A) FRAP
B) cellular fusion
C) membrane skeleton
D) lateral diffusion
E) fluid mosaic
Ans: E
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-4. Membrane Assembly and Protein Targeting
34. N-terminal signal peptides are use to direct proteins:
A) destined for secretion.
B) to the endoplasmic reticulum.
C) destined to be part of the lysosomes.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Ans: D
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-4. Membrane Assembly and Protein Targeting
35. The translocon, which is found in the endoplasmic reticulum, is a _______ protein.
A) soluble
B) lipid-linked
C) transmembrane
D) peripheral
E) extrinsic
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-4. Membrane Assembly and Protein Targeting
36. In bacteria, phospholipids are synthesized:
A) on the cytoplasmic face of cell membranes
B) in the rough endoplasmic reticulum
C) on the extracellular face of the cell membrane
D) from isoprene subunits
E) non-enzymatically
Ans: A

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Section: 12-4. Membrane Assembly and Protein Targeting
37. Which of the following segments of the integral membrane protein glycophorin most likely
contains the membrane-spanning sequence:
A) LSTTEVAMHTTTSSSVSKSY
B) ISSQTNDTHKRDTYAATPRA
C) HEVSEISVRTVYPPEEETGE
D) PEITLIIFGVMAGVIGTILL
E) ISYGIRRLIKKSPSDVKPLP
Ans: D
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes
38. Which would be most likely to be found in the cell membranes of arctic mammals?
A) very high concentrations of cholesterol
B) polyunsaturated lipids
C) saturated lipids
D) trans-fats
E) elevated concentrations of hemoglobin
Ans: B
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification
39. The mannose-6-phosphate marker is used to direct proteins to the _______________.
A) lysosome
B) rough endoplasmic reticulum
C) outer leaflet of the cellular membrane
D) nucleus
E) cytoplasm
Ans: A
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-4. Membrane Assembly and Protein Targeting
40. Glycosphingolipids with several attached carbohydrates (including at least one sialic acid)
are called:
A) lipid rafts
B) ceramides
C) sphingiosides

D) gangliosides
E) proteoglycans
Ans: D
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-1. Lipid Classification

41. In which cellular location does the synthesis of N-linked oligosaccharides take place?
A)
B)
C)
D)

Golgi apparatus
cytosol
mitochondrial matrix
It depends upon the specific cell type/species.

Ans: A
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-4. Membrane Assembly and Protein Targeting
42. Connexin proteins form the basis of ______.
Ans: B
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes
43. Gap junctions:
A) connect the cytoplasm to the extracellular solution
B) are important intracellular communication channels
C) are important intercellular communication channels
D) primarily transport oxalate and formate
E) none of the above
Ans: C
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Section: 12-3. Biological Membranes