Biology A-Level
Cholesterol
What Cholesterol means in Biology A-Level, as defined for OCR.
Definitions of Cholesterol
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Reference: OCR
A small, rigid, amphipathic steroid whose hydrophobic region sits among fatty acid tails while its hydroxyl group faces the aqueous surface, restricting phospholipid movement to regulate membrane fluidity and stability.
Sits between the fatty acid tails, restricting movement at high temperature and preventing packing at low temperature, so it buffers fluidity.
Topics that use Cholesterol
- Biological membranes (OCR A-Level)
- Biological molecules (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- amylose and amylopectin
- Benedict's test for reducing and non-reducing sugars
- Biuret test for proteins
- Bonding and R-group interactions
- Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
- Cell signalling and receptors
- Cellulose and microfibrils
- Cholesterol and fatty-acid saturation
Using Cholesterol in the exam
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