¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Medical Definition of Diacylglycerol
1. Glycerol substituted on the 1 and 2 hydroxyl groups with long chain fatty acyl residues. DAG is a normal intermediate in the biosynthesis of phosphatidyl phospholipids and is released from them by phospholipase C activity. DAG from phosphatidyl inositol polyphosphates is important in signal transduction. Elevated levels of DAG in membranes activate protein kinase C by stabilising its catalytically active complex with membrane bound phosphatidyl serine and calcium. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)