Lecture 15: Primary Metabolism - 11/3

Question 1

Metabolism

Answer 1

The biochemical reactions that create molecules

Question 2

Primary metabolites

Answer 2

Molecules produced by all plants that are essential for their survival

Question 3

Secondary metabolism

Answer 3

The biochemical reactions that create molecules not necessary for plant survival. These molecules are called secondary metabolites and are often unique to one group of plants

Question 4

What are the 4 primary metabolites?

Answer 4

Amino acids
Fatty acids
Carbohydrates
Nucleobases

Question 5

What are the 3 parts of a nucleotide?

Answer 5

Phosphate group
Pentose sugar group (5C)
Nitrogenous base

Question 6

What is the most abundant class of metabolites?

Answer 6

Carbohydrates

Question 7

What elements make up carbohydrates?

Answer 7

C, H, and O

Question 8

What uses do carbohydrates have?

Answer 8

They provide energy or are used in cellular structure

Question 9

Hydroxyl group

Answer 9

Has a significant effect of the properties of the polysaccharides formed from glucose. This group is attached to the carbon 1

a (alpha) or b (beta) orientations

Question 9

Sucrose

Answer 9

A disaccharide with a glycosidic bond linking glucose and fructose

Question 10

Starch

Answer 10

A complex polysaccharide with the C rings of C1 and C4 linked by an alpha bond

Question 11

Cellulose

Answer 11

Makes up plant walls consisting of long linear chains of glucose (with beta 1-4 linkages). Every other glucose in cellulose is flipped over. This promotes intra- and inter-chain bonding, causing cellulose chains to be straight and rigid

Question 12

What is the difference between starch and cellulose’s bonds?

Answer 12

Starch has alpha bonds, so it is digestible. Cellulose has beta bonds, so it is indigestible

Question 13

Fatty acid structure

Answer 13

A carboxyl group (COOH) and a long, unbranched carbon chain

Question 14

Saturated vs. unsaturated fatty acid

Answer 14

Saturated fatty acids have a straight C (carbon) chain, whereas unsaturated fatty acids have a bent C chain.

This is because saturated fatty acids only have C-C single bonds, whereas unsaturated fatty acids have at least one C=C double bond

Question 15

Where are fatty acids synthesized?

Answer 15

Within plastids, or within chloroplasts in photosynthetic tissue

Question 16

What are free fatty acids?

Answer 16

They are very reactive molecules. The cell adds them to glycerol to reduce their reactivity (esterifying them)

Question 17

Esterification reaction

Answer 17

When an alcohol and an acid become linked by an ester bond

Question 18

Triacylglycerols

Answer 18

Used as carbon storage by plants and are mostly found in seeds

Question 19

Diacylglycerols

Answer 19

Have a polar head and make up membranes

Question 20

Amino acid structure

Answer 20

Small molecules with an amino group (NH2), a carboxyl group (COOH), a hydrogen, and a variable side chain R

Question 21

Where does amino acid synthesis branch off from?

Answer 21

Glycolysis and the Krebs cycle

Question 22

What is an essential amino acid?

Answer 22

An amino acid that can’t be synthesized by humans

Question 23

Out of the 20 common amino acids, how many are considered essential amino acids?

Answer 23

There are 8 essential amino acids

Question 24

Protein structure

Answer 24

Composed of long, unbranched chains of amino acids held together by peptide bonds

Question 25

How are peptide bonds formed?

Answer 25

Through dehydration reactions