2. Goldfish were acclimated to 5°C and 25°C for 21 days, after which brain membr

Question

2. Goldfish were acclimated to 5°C and 25°C for 21 days, after which brain membrane lipids were purified and identified. Membrane lipids were divided into three major classes, depending upon the "head group" and the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids was determined for each class. The data are in the table below (from Cossins and Prosser, 1977, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 75: 2040-2043]. Phospholipid Class (Head group) | Phosphocholine | Phosphoethanolamine Serine/Inositol 5°C acclimated 0.66 0.34 0.46 Saturated:Unsaturated FA Ratio 25°C acclimated 0.82 0.51 0.63 Based upon these data, what can you conclude about the influence of acclimation temperature on degree of lipid saturation and implications for membrane fluidity?

Explanation / Answer

Explanation:- Acclimation allows organism to adjust with varying environmental conditions. Here acclimated Goldfish from 5 to 25 degrees over 21 days shows increase in the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids. This helps in maintaining the fluidity of membranes. This is because more saturation means more saturated F.A which are tightly packaged in the cell membrane having single bond and does not allow cell membrane to become fluid at high temperature which is necessary for normal membrane transport. However unsaturated f.A are loosely packaged due in kinks in their structure caused by double bonds and make cell membrane fluid at high temperature disturbing the cell membrane integrity.

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