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palmitic acid

(Science: biochemistry) One of the most widely distributed of fatty acids.

The palmitoyl residue is one of the common acyl residues of membrane phospholipids. It is also found as a thioester attached to cystein residues on some membrane proteins. The proteins so modified are often transmembrane proteins and the modified residue is on the cytoplasmic surface of the membrane.

The specificity of the transferase for the acyl residue is not high and both stearoyl and oleoyl residues can replace the palmitoyl residue.

Compare: myristoylation.