Chapters 5-9 Flashcards
Four Classes of Biological Molecules (Macromolecules)
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
- Proteins
- Nucleic acids
- All considered polymers except lipids
Macromolecules
- Large molecules, complex
- Unique properties that arise from the orderly arrangement of their atoms
- Polymers=macromolecules
Polymer
- A long molecule consisting of many similar building blocks
- Building blocks= monomers
Enzymes
-Specialized molecules that speed up chemical reactions
Dehydration reaction (condensation)
- When two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule
- Catalytic reaction
Hydrolysis
- How polymers break apart
- Reverse of dehydration reaction (adds water)
- Metabolic reaction
Carbohydrates
- Fuel, building material, Carbon source, information (blood ABO)
- 25% of dry cell mass
- Sugars and polymers of sugars
- Simplest= monosaccharides (simple sugars)
- Polysaccharides= many sugars
Lactose Intolerance
- Lactase= enzyme
- W/o enzyme or lack of, lactose (sugar) cannot be broken down, ferments in large intestine
Chitin
-Creates exoskeleton of arthropods
Lipids
- 5% of dry cell mass
- Not a true polymer
- Required for membrane, energy, signaling, insulation
- Hydrophonic
- Types: fat, phospholipid, steroid
Fats
- Constructed from glycerol and fatty acids
- Fatty acid= carboxyl group attached to carbon skeleton
- Glycerol= three carbon alcohol w/ hydroxyl group attached to each carbon
- Glycerol connects to chain of fatty acids
- Triacylglycerol: 3 fatty acids joined by glycerol
Saturated Fats
- Solid at room temperature (high melting point)
- No double bond
- Bad for health
Unsaturated Fats
- Liquid at room temp (low melting point)
- Double bond
- Cis: packed poorly, low melting point (better for u)
- Trans: packed tightly, high melting point (bad for u)
Lipid Bilayer
- Makes cell membranes
- One end of phospholipid is polar, other non-polar
- Hydrophilic head, hydrophobic tail
Steroids
- Ring structure: four fused ring
- Percusor= cholesterol, essential for membrane signaling
- Too much= bad (atherosclerosis, build up in arteries)
- Vitamin D and hormone
Nucleic Acid
- 10% dry cell mass
- Store, transmit, and help express hereditary info
- Multiple NA= gene–> multiple gene= DNA
- Polynucleotide made of monomers called nucleotides
Pyrimidines
-Cytosine, Thymine, Uracil
Purines
-Adenine and Guanine
DNA Structure
- Nucleotides linked by phosphodiester linkage
- Phosphate group that links two sugars
- Sequence of bases along a DNA or mRNA= unique to each gene
- Double helix
- A w/ T, G w/ C
- gene–> dna–> chromosome
RNA
-Single-stranded
Thymine is replaced by Uracil, so U and A pair
-More variable in form
Proteins
- 50% of dry mass of most cells
- Speed up chemical reactions, defense, storage, transport, cellular communication, movement, and structural support
Enzymatic Proteins
-Accelerate chem reactions
Defensive proteins
-Protection against disease
Storage proteins
-Store amino acids