Glycolipids are amphipathic because they have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions.

Glycolipids are amphipathic because they have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions.

• A. True.
• B. False.
• C. Only hydrophobic.
• D. Only hydrophilic.

Answer: (A)

Glycolipids are amphipathic because they have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions. The nonpolar fatty acid tail(s) form the hydrophobic portion that anchors within the lipid bilayer, while the carbohydrate head group is polar and interacts with water, providing the hydrophilic portion. In membranes, this arrangement keeps the sugar-containing heads facing the aqueous exterior (or interior) and the tails tucked inside the bilayer, giving glycolipids their characteristic orientation. This combination of a water-repelling tail and a water-attracting head is exactly what amphipathic means, so the statement is true. If a molecule were only hydrophobic or only hydrophilic, it wouldn’t align with membrane structure in the same way.

Glycolipids are amphipathic because they have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions. The nonpolar fatty acid tail(s) form the hydrophobic portion that anchors within the lipid bilayer, while the carbohydrate head group is polar and interacts with water, providing the hydrophilic portion. In membranes, this arrangement keeps the sugar-containing heads facing the aqueous exterior (or interior) and the tails tucked inside the bilayer, giving glycolipids their characteristic orientation. This combination of a water-repelling tail and a water-attracting head is exactly what amphipathic means, so the statement is true. If a molecule were only hydrophobic or only hydrophilic, it wouldn’t align with membrane structure in the same way.