3 Introduction To Biochemistry Flashcards
What is biochemistry
The study of chemical processes of living things
Approximate composition of a mammalian cell
H2O - 70% Proteins - 18% Phospholipids - 3% Other lipids 2% Polysaccharides 2% RNA 1.1% DNA 0.25% Other 4%
What are carbohydrates composed of
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen.
Cm(H2O)n
Chemical formulae of glucose
C6H12O6
Or
C6(H2O)6
Name the 4 types of saccharides
Monosaccharides (simple sugars)
Disaccharides (2 mono bonded)
Oligosaccharides (3-10 mono bonded)
Polysaccharides (long chains bonded)
What is the saccharide called in an oligosaccharide
Glycan.
Attached to the protein or lipid through glycosylation
3 types of monosaccharide
Alpha Glucose
Beta Glucose
Fructose
What is the most abundant molecule on earth
Cellulose
What does amylase do
Found in saliva and small intestine.
Breaks bonds of glucose in starch but not in cellulose.
What do lipids do
Energy storage, cell structure and signalling
What are the simplest lipids
Fatty acids
What is a fstty acid made from
Chains of carbon and hydrogen with a carboxyl functional group at one end.
How many carbons are commonly in a fatty acid
12-24
What defines saturated fatty acid
All carbons linked by single covalent bonds
What defines unsaturated fatty acid
When 2 carbons are linked by double bonds
What is a triglyceride
Energy storage molecule.
Consist of three fatty acid chains bonded to a molecule of glycerol
What is a phospholipid
Molecules that form the cell membrane.
What does amphiphilic mean
Part hydrophilic and part hydrophobic
What is a glycolipid
Linked to saccharides. Play roles in cell-cell recognition
What is a nucleic acid
Information carrying molecule
How many nueotides in DNA molecule of human chromosome 1
249 million
What does an enzyme do
Catalyse chemical reactions
How many amino acids
20
Name 2 structural patterns of proteins
Alpha helix
Beta sheet
