palmitatecontaining

Palmitate-containing is a descriptive term for chemical species that include the palmitoyl group derived from palmitic acid (palmitate) as part of their structure. Palmitate is a 16-carbon saturated fatty acid common in many biological lipids. In chemistry and biochemistry, the term covers molecules with a covalently bound palmitoyl moiety, typically through an ester, amide, or thioester linkage, or lipids in which palmitate is a major constituent of the fatty acid chains.

Contexts in which the descriptor is used include both lipids and proteins. Palmitate-containing lipids include triglycerides and glycerophospholipids that carry one or more palmitate residues; in glycerophospholipids, palmitate is frequently found at specific positions on the glycerol backbone. The activated donor for acylation reactions is palmitoyl-CoA, which provides palmitate for biosynthesis and remodeling of lipids.

In biology, palmitate is also covalently attached to proteins in a modification known as palmitoylation. S-palmitoylation attaches palmitate to cysteine residues via a thioester bond, while other, less common forms may involve attachment to other amino groups. Palmitoylation affects protein membrane association, subcellular localization, stability, and signaling, and it is often reversible.

Analytical studies of palmitate-containing molecules employ lipidomics and proteomics techniques, including mass spectrometry and metabolic labeling. Enzymes involved include palmitoyltransferases (such as the DHHC family) that catalyze palmitoylation and acyl-protein thioesterases that remove palmitate. Palmitate-containing molecules are relevant in nutrition, membrane biology, and disease, where dysregulated palmitoylation or lipid composition can contribute to pathology.