Biological Molecules Flashcards
Saccharides, Lipids, proteins, amino acids, nucleotides
What are the 4 classes of biological molecules?
Saccharides, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic acids (Nucleotides)
What are the subtypes of saccharides and their functions?
Monosaccharides - Energy storage
Disaccharides - Energy (sucrose, lactose)
Polysaccharides - energy storage, structure
Oligosaccharides - cell cell interactions (sugar chain antlers)
How do you identify, number and name carbons in sugar rings?
(in line) Start numbering at the end of the chain, at the C closest to C=O
(in ring) on one side of -o- there is an OH, that is the one closest to the end. 2nd to last.
If the OH is on the same side as Bulky group, beta configuration
If on opposite side, alpha configuration
What are some functions of saccharides?
Energy storage, make up key cell structures, intermediates in cell metabolism
How do you know whether a sugar is a keytose or aldose?
When the C=O is in the middle of the chain, it is a Keytose. When the C=O is on the terminal, it is an Aldose.
What are some functions of Lipids?
Fuel storage, structure, molecule signaling, Lipids don’t have a single building block like proteins.
What are the types of Lipids?
Triglycerides, Phospholipids, Steroid lipids
What is the structure of a phospholipid? What are they made up of?
1 Glycerol molecule, 2 fatty acid molecules (tails), 1 phosphate group, and usually something polar.
What are steroid lipids made up of?
built around a core of 4 linked carbon rings. the reason they are classified as lipids is because they are hydrophobic. (cholesterol is a steriod)
What are the components and functions of membranes?
Membranes contain proteins (Lipid bilayer does not),
Phospholipids are not randomly arranged in membranes,
allow cells to form compartments,
Most membranes are fluid, but some are not
What are some functions of proteins?
all enzymes are proteins, the building block of proteins are amino acids
-building (collagen, cytoskeleton, muscles)
-signaling molecules - hormones
-transcriptional regulators
-molecular motors
What is the structure of amino acids?
there are 20 common amino acids, all made diverse by R groups.
build around a central carbon, One Ve- carries an amino group, one carries a COOH (carboxylic acid), One has an H, the last carries the R group.
What are saturated vs unsaturated bonds? particularly related to fatty acids.
A SATURATED fatty acid has single carbon bonds.(-)
An UNsaturated fatty acid has double carbon bonds (=) making the tail KINKY !!!
What is the structure of a Nucleic acid
nucleic acids are DNA and RNA.
-Nitrogenous base
-5-carbon sugar (ribose, dioxyribose)
-At least 1 phosphate group
Building block are nucleotides (AGTC
