General Biology > Macromolecules > Flashcards

Macromolecules Flashcards

(45 cards)

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1
Q

4 types of macromolecules

A
  1. Carbohydrate (monosaccharide)
  2. Protein (amino acid)
  3. Lipid (fatty acid)
  4. Nucleic Acid (nucleotide)
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2
Q

Organic molecules

A

all contain carbon (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, other minor elements)

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3
Q

Building blocks

A

Monomer: individual subunit

Polymer: long chain made up of repeated monomers

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4
Q

Dehydration synthesis

A

put together while losing water, linked by a covalent

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5
Q

Hydrolysis

A

Breaking down polymers into individual monomers (adding water) (helps with digestion)

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6
Q

Enzymes

A

Biological molecules that catalyze or speed up reactions (hydrolysis or dehydration)

Biological molecules: they are produced by organisms

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7
Q

specific enzymes exist for each molecule

A

carbohydrates: broken by amylase, sucrase, lactase

Lipids: broken down by lipases

proteins: broken down by pepsin and peptidase

(-ase)

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8
Q

Carbohydrates

A

sugars (CH2O)n

found in grains, fruits, veggies and sugary items

provide energy to body in form of glucose

Three main subtypes:
Monosaccharides ( 1 monomer)
Disaccharides (2 monomers)
Polysaccharides (more than 2 monomer)

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9
Q

Monosaccharides

A

usually have 1 ring with 3-7 carbons
usually end with the (suffix -ose)

Glucose: plant synthesize this

Fructose: part of sucrose which is in fruits
(the storage portion of plants)

Galactose: part of lactose (milk sugar) (animals make galactose. e.g. cow)

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10
Q

Disaccharide

A

form when two monosaccharides are linked in a dehydration reaction

Glucose + Fructose = Sucrose (table sugar)

two monomers are joined by glycosidic bond (Covalent bond) and water is also released

common disaccharide:
maltose (grain sugar)
lactose (milk sugar glucose + galactose)

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11
Q

Polysaccharides

A

long chain of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic bonds (more than two subunits)

branched or unbranched

multiple types of monosaccharides

molecular weight could be > 10,000 amu

e.g. Glycogen which is a storage function in our bodies (excess carbohydrates are stored. Breaks down when we are not eating enough food)

Cellulose (found in the cell walls of plants) (linked in unbranched chains)

Chitin (hard exoskeleton of arthropods and supports fungi structures)

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12
Q

What is a lipid

A

diverse group of non-polar hydrocarbons (carbon +hydrogen) (hydrophobic)

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13
Q

function of lipids

A

long term energy stores

helps insulate from environment (hydrophobic lipids in the fur of aquatic mammals protect them from the elements)

takes longer to breakdown

serve as a building block for some hormones

important component of cellular membranes

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14
Q

Types of lipids

A

Fats & Oils
Waxes
Phospholipids
Steroids

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15
Q

Fats and oil

A

Fats- contain two main components
1. Glycerol
2. Fatty acids
(Triglyceride: formed by joining three fatty acids to glycerol backbone. Might be different lengths and can be different structures)

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16
Q

Saturated fatty acid

A

saturated with single bond hydrogens (contains no carbon-carbon double bonds in the carbon-backbone)

pack tightly and exist as solids at room temperature (buttet, fat in meats, coconut oil, cheese)

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17
Q

unsaturated fatty acid

A

contains at least one carbon-carbon double bond in carbon chain backbone (unsaturated with hydrogen)

bent shape

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18
Q

Monounsaturated fat vs Polyunsaturated fat

A

Monounsaturated: one double bond (avocado oil, olive oil)

Polyunsaturated: more than one double bond (corn, sunflower oil, soy bean oil, seeds)

mostly liquids at room temperature: oils

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19
Q

Cis oleic and Trans oleic acid

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A

Cis (good): hydrogens on same side of chain

Trans (not good): hydrogens on opposite side of chain
can be created through processing (hydrogenated oils)
foods with trans fat may increase LDL cholesterol in humans

20
Q

Fundamental structure of amino acid

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A

Central carbon atom
amino group (-NH2)
carboxyl group (-COOH)
hydrogen
side chain (R-group)

21
Q

Essential fatty acids (required but not synthesized by the body)

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A

Alpha-linolenic acid

Omega-3 fatty acid (found in salmon, trout, tuna)
Omega 6-fatty acid (found oils)

these fats are heart healthy (reduce risk of heart attack, reduce triglycerides in blood, lower blood pressure

22
Q

Lipids: waxes

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A

long fatty acid chains + long chain alcohols

hydrophobic and prevent water from sticking to surface

found on the feathers of some aquatic birds and on the surface of leaves from certain plants

23
Q

Phospholipid

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A

found in cell membrane. Phospholipids make up that membrane

two fatty acids
glycerol backbone
phosphate group

24
Q

Plasma membrane

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A

the hydrophilic head groups of the phospholipids face the aqueous solution

the hydrophobic tails are hidden in the middle of the bilayer

phospholipids contribute to dynamic nature of plasma membrane

25
Lipids: steroids
closed ring structure four linked carbon rings many have a short tail hydrophobic (insoluble in water) Cholesterol is the most common steroid synthesized in liver helps maintain the plasma membrane's fluid nature precursor to other hormones like testosterone and estradiol precursor to vitamin D precursor to bile salts
26
Cholesterol
is the most common steroid synthesized in liver helps maintain the plasma membrane's fluid nature precursor to other hormones like testosterone and estradiol precursor to vitamin D precursor to bile salts
27
Four levels of protein organization
a protein shape is very critical to its function Primary structure Secondary structure Tertiary structure Quaternary structure
28
Proteins
most abundant organic molecules have a diverse range of functions regulatory functions structural functions protective functions Transport Enzymes Toxins
29
Protein types and functions
Digestive enzymes: help in digestion of food by catabolizing nutrients into monomeric units (Amylase, lipase, pepsin, trypsin) Transport: carry substances in the blood or lymph throughout the body (hemoglobin, albumin) Structural: construct different structures, like the cytoskeleton (Actin, tubulin, keratin) Hormones: (insulin, thyroxine) coordinate the activity of different body systems Defense: protect the body from foreign pathogens (immunoglobulins) Contractile: effect muscle contraction (actin, myosin) Storage: provide nourishment in early development of the embryo and the seedling (Legme storage proteins, egg white (albumin)
30
types of enzymes (2)
Catabolic- breakdown substrates protein (enzyme) that catalyzes conversion of Maltose to Glucose Anabolic- (ana builds) build more complex molecules in other parts of your body besides the stomach
31
20 types of amino acid
32
R group (amino groups)
R-groups determine the chemical nature of each amino acid: - nonpolar aliphatic -polar (like water) -positively charged -negatively charge -Nonpolar aromatic each amino acid has a different R group
33
polymer formation (peptide bond formation)
amino acid monomers are linked via peptide bond formation (dehydration synthesis reaction)(type of covalent bond) carboxyl group of one amino acid is linked to the amino group of the incoming amino acid
34
primary protein structure
the unique sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide (based on genes in dna) (very specific order) sickle cell anemia: normal hemoglobin-amino acid at position seven is glutamic acid sickle cell hemoglobin-glutamic acid is replaced by valine (not good. causes breathing problems)
35
Secondary protein structure
local folding of the polypeptide Helix and pleated sheet are two possibilities due to hydrogen bonding between CO and NH groups
36
Tertiary protein structures
the unique three dimensional structure of a polypeptide due to chemical interactions between R groups on amino acids hydrophobic interactions ionic bonding hydrogen bonding disulfide linkages (sulfur protein)
37
Quaternary protein structures
interactions between several polypeptides that make up a protein weak interactions b/w subunits help stabilize the structure
38
protein: denaturation
changes in protein structure that leads to changes in function chemical interactions are broken: -changes in pH -changes in temperature -interaction with other chemicals heating an egg to extreme temperatures can lead to irreversible denaturation of egg protein (albumin in egg goes from liquid to solid)
39
Nucleic acids
constitute the genetic material of living organisms
40
two types of nucleic acid
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) ribonucleic acid (RNA)
41
location of nucleic acids
-Nucleus of eukaryotic cells -Mitochondria -Chloroplasts -prokaryotic cells (not membrane enclosed)
42
nucleotides consist of three parts
1. Nitrogenous base (A,G,C,T) (U in rna) 2. Pentose sugar (Deoxyribose in dna, Ribose in rna) 3. one or more phosphate groups
43
how does the polymer: nucleic acids form
the sugar and phosphate of separate nucleotides link together in a phosphodiester bond Nitrogenous bases are staked in the interior each base from one strand interacts via hydrogen bonding with a base from the opposing strand
44
DNA vs RNA
DNA: function: carries genetic info location remains in the nucleus Structure: double helix Sugar: Deoxyribose Pyrimidines: Cytosine, Thymine Purines: Adenine, Guanine RNA: Function:involved in protein synthesis Location: leaves the nucleus Structure: usually single stranded sugar: ribose cytosine, uracil adenine, guanine
45
The central dogma of life
DNA--> RNA---> protein transcription--> translation--> protein
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