A diacylglycerol is a glycerol derivative with two fatty-acid ester groups and one free hydroxyl group. Both chain identity and the positions of the ester groups specify an individual diacylglycerol.
Certain membrane-associated diacylglycerols act as second messengers. Cleavage of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate can produce a diacylglycerol that stays in the cell membrane together with soluble inositol trisphosphate, allowing one chemical event to generate signals in two cellular locations.
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