Cofactors for enzymatic reactions

Special tasks. Some lipids have adopted special roles in the body. Steroids, eicosanoids, and some metabolites of phospholipids have signaling functions. They serve as hormones, mediators, and second messengers (see p.370). Other lipids form anchors to attach proteins to membranes (see p.214). The lipids also produce cofactors for enzymatic reactions—e.g., vitamin K (see p.52) and ubiquinone (see p.l04). The carotenoid retinal, a light-sensitive lipid, is of central importance in the process of vision (see p.358). 

The most prominent function is as cofactors for enzymatic reactions. 

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