biomolecules Flashcards
(97 cards)
1
Q
what are biomolecules?
A
long strings of identical or similar molecules covalently bonded together
2
Q
what is another term for macromolecules?
A
polymers
3
Q
what do we call the subunit of polymers?
A
monomers
4
Q
how are bonds built?
A
dehydration; the removal of a water molecule forms a new bond
5
Q
how are bonds broken?
A
hydrolisis; break a bond by adding a water molecule
6
Q
what are the 4 main classes of biomolecules?
A
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids
7
Q
what type of bond joins together carbohydrates?
A
glycosidic linkages
8
Q
monosaccharides are an example of what type of biomolecule?
A
carbohydrates
9
Q
what are monosaccharides?
A
simplest carbohydrates (single molecules)
10
Q
disaccharides are an example of…?
A
carbohydrates
11
Q
what are disaccharides?
A
two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic linkage
12
Q
what are polysaccharides?
A
two or more monosaccharides joined by glycosidic linkages into a huge, bulky molecule
13
Q
which monosaccharides are isomers?
A
aldoses and ketoses
14
Q
where is the C=O bond of an aldose?
A
at one end of the molecule
15
Q
where is the C=O bond of a ketose?
A
in the middle of the molecule
16
Q
what are examples of aldoses/ketoses?
A
glucose and fructose
17
Q
what is another name for monosaccharides?
A
simple sugars
18
Q
hexose sugars all share the same molecular formula. they are called…
A
isomers
19
Q
what are examples of disaccharides?
A
sucrose (glucose+fructose)
lactose (glucose+galactose)
maltose (glucose+glucose)
20
Q
what are examples of carbohydrates?
A
sugars, glycogen, starch, cellulose, chitin
21
Q
what is the function of sugars?
A
they are used as fuel (energy)
22
Q
what is the function of glycogen?
A
energy storage in animals
23
Q
what is the linkage for glycogen?
A
1-4 linkage of alpha glucose
24
Q
what enzyme breaks down glycogen?
A
phosphorylase
25
what is the function of starch?
energy storage in plants
26
what is the linkage for starch?
1-4 linkage of alpha glucose
27
what enzyme breaks down starch?
amylase
28
how are the molecules of glycogen and starches arranged?
they are long chains of sugar rings
29
what is the function of cellulose
structural strength in plants
30
what is the linkage of cellulose?
1-4 linkage of beta glucose (B stands for BAD! few animals are capable of breaking it down, only cows/termites)
31
how do animals like cows/termites break down cellulose?
they have a special bacteria that does it for them
32
how are the molecules of cellulose arranged?
cellulose is like fibers woven together until it becomes cell walls (cell walls are made of cellulose)
33
why can't we digest beta glucose (ex: cellulose)?
because it has the wrong orientation. in a beta glucose molecule, the OH is above the H at 1. in an alpha glucose, the H is above the OH at 1.
34
what is the linkage for chitin?
1-4 linkage of beta glucose
35
where is chitin found?
in mushrooms and certain bug shells
36
what enzyme breaks down chitin?
chitinase - we only produce a little of this, so we digest chitin quite slowly
37
what elements are most carbohydrates made of?
H, C, O
38
what differs chitin from the other carbs?
it contains 4 elements: H, C, O, N
39
what are lipids and what are their bonds called?
they are non-traditional polymers that are non-polar and hydrophobic. their bonds are called ester linkages
40
what are some examples of lipids?
fats, phospholipids and steroids
41
what are the monomers for lipids called?
glycerol and fatty acids
42
what is the proper name for fat?
triacyglycerol
43
what are fats made of?
1 glycerol and 3 fatty acids
44
what are fatty acids?
hydrocarbon chains
45
what is the function of fats?
energy storage, cushioning
46
what are the 2 types of fats?
saturated and unsaturated
47
describe saturated fat bonds
there are no C=C double bonds, straight chains with as many H bonds as possible, solid at room temp, for every C there are 2 H
48
why are saturated fats considered bad?
they are bad for cardiovascular health because the chains can interlock, so it becomes easy for them to build up and eventually clog arteries
49
describe unsaturated fat bonds
has C=C double bonds (can sometimes have more than 1 double bond), which prevents it from packing close enough to solidify at room temp (they are LIQUID)
50
why are unsaturated fats good?
because of the bend in one of the fatty acid chains, it is less likely for these fats to get tangled and clog up arteries
51
fatty acid chains from different fat molecules are...
slightly attracted to each other
52
fatty acids chains in general:
- contain a carboxyl group (-COOH) and a long hydrocarbon chain
- saturated or unsaturated
- saturated has the max # of H atoms attached to each C
- unsaturated have less H atoms, usually two less than saturated
53
what causes the bend in unsaturated fats?
the double carbon bond
54
describe phospholipids
- non-polar and polar ends
- part of plasma membrane
- hydrophobic/hydrophillic regions
- 2 "tails" with a phosphate
- make up our cell membrane
55
explain how phospholipids form a "barrier"
the hydrophobic parts of the phospholips will hide away from the water, creating an impenetrable barrier which can only be penetrated by things that can dissolve through lipids (gases)
56
what function do phospholipids have?
waterproofing
57
how are steroids similar to sugars?
they are assembled by the same type of rxn
58
describe stereoids
they have ring structures, and are found in cell membrane, cholesterol and hormones
59
describe the ring configuration of steroids?
the rings always attach along the long side (not point to point like carbs) and always contain 4 rings with the same orientation
60
examples of steroids?
cholesterol, estrogen, testosterone
61
describe proteins
- made from the same set of 20 amino acids
- all have same basic structure, but have specific side chains
- different categories: non-polar, polar, electrically charged
- sensitive to pH change
- called di-peptides or polypeptides
62
what is the monomer for protein?
amino acid
63
what is the bond for protein?
peptides (they are hardest bond to make without mistakes & are easy to break)
64
what are amino acids?
monomer of polypeptides
65
what is contained in an amino acid?
amino group, alpha carbon, r group (specific to each amino acid), carboxyl group
66
what determines the function of a protein?
the shape (shape = function)
67
what are the 4 levels of protein structure?
primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary structure and quatemary structure
68
describe primary structure of proteins
single chain of amino acids
69
describe secondary structure of proteins
chains are folded into alpha helixes or beta pleats (one chain can be both helix and pleat)
70
tertiary structure
essentially being squished into a ball, the sheets from the secondary structure are interweaved.
held together by: interactions between hydrophobid/hydrophillic R-groups, hydrogen bonds and disulfide bridges
71
describe quatemary structure of proteins
putting two or more polypeptide chains together
72
what is a chaperonin?
a special protein that helps with the folding of other proteins
73
what happens if something goes wrong with the structure of the protein?
if something goes wrong, at any level, the protein won't work - only takes one mistake! faulty DNA is inherited, mistakes with good DNA won't be noticeable
74
what can cause a protein structure to unravel?
pH changes, high temperature, salt (ex: why a fever of 101 is better than 103)
75
what are enzymes considered?
proteins
76
function & example of enzymatic proteins
function: selective acceleration of chemical reactions
example: digestive enzymes like lactase
77
function & example of storage proteins
function: storage of amino acids
examples: casein, the protein in milk
78
function & example of defensive proteins
function: protection against disease
ex: antibodies inactivate and help destroy bacteria (vaccines)
79
function & example of transport proteins
function: transports substances
ex: hemoglobin (transports oxygen in blood)
80
function & example of hormonal proteins
function: coordinates an organism's activities
example: insulin (regulates blood sugar)
81
function & example of contractile/motor proteins
function: movement
ex: actin and myosin are responsible for contraction of muscles
82
function & example of receptor proteins
function: response of cell to chemical stimuli
ex: receptors in nerve cells can tell ovaries to stop/start producing eggs
83
function & example of structural proteins
function: support
ex: keratin, protein in hair/horns/feathers
84
what is the purpose of nucleic acids?
store and transmit hereditary information
85
what are the 2 types of nucleic acids?
DNA, RNA
86
describe DNA
provides info for its own replication, directs RNA synthesis, it is passed on
87
describe RNA
directs protein synthesis, it is temporary (not passed on)
88
where are copies of our DNA stored?
a copy of DNA is in each of our cells
89
what are the monomers for nucleic acids
nucleotides
90
what are the bonds for nucleic acids?
phosphodiester
91
what are nucleotides composed of?
a phosphate group, a sugar and either a pyrimidine or a purine
92
how to make DNA?
take 2 nucleic acids, attach together and twist in helix. to break the bond between monomers, remove a water
93
how to "read" DNA?
"instructions" are used by reading one strip - AGCT
94
describe DNA polarity
the DNA strand has a polarity with one end being 5' and one being 3'
95
what does DNA stand for?
deoxyribonucleic acid - it is a sugar phosphate backbone with nucleitides
96
describe DNA strands
each nucleotide has a complimentary nucleotide: adenine (A) and thymine (T) // guanine (G) and cytosine (C)
97
DNA - how is double-stranded helix arranged?
antiparallel - one side will be 3'-5', other side will be 5'-3'
