Biological Molecules Flashcards
Where can you find DNA?
Nucleus
Four macromolecules
- Nucleic Acid (DNA/RNA)
- proteins
- lipids
- Carbohydrates
Another name for macromolecules
polymers
Monomers
The building blocks of polymers. Small molecules that join to form macromolecules
What makes lipids unique?
Polarity. They are generally non-polar, but some parts of some lipids can be polar
Pol
The monomer of lipids
None. It’s just one molecule
Monomer of carbohydrates
sugars
Monomer of Nucleic Acid (DNA/RNA)
nucleotides
Monomer of proteins
amino acids
Function of lipids
cell membrane and energy
Function of proteins
cell structure and support. Physical shape to things.
Function of nucleic acid (DNA/RNA)
carry genetic info
Function of carbs
energy
What differentiates amino acids from one another?
Their R group (also called side chain)
How do different types of carbohydrates form?
Bonding. The type of carb that forms depends on where the bonds between the sugars are formed.
Directionality
the order in which the monomers attach to one another to form a macromolecule
What is the importance of directionality?
The function and structure of the macromolecule depends on the directionality of its monomers
Dehydration Synthesis
The process of “putting monomers together” (directionality)
In dehydration synthesis, _____ is always lost
A water molecule (H20)
The type of bond formed in dehydration synthesis
covalent bond/peptide bond
to break covalent bonds, we can ___
Add water
Hydrolysis
The reversal of dehydration synthesis; breaking monomer chains by adding water
The two different types of Nucleic acids
DNA & RNA
The monomers of nucleic acid are nucleotides. What are the 3 components of nucleotides?
- a 5-carbon sugar
- a phosphate group
- a nitrogenous base
What are the differences between a DNA nucleotide and an RNA nucleotide?
DNA: deoxyribose sugar
RNA: ribose sugar
4 nucleotides in DNA
- adenine (A)
- cytosine (C)
- guanine (G)
- thymine (T)
4 nucleotides in RNA
- adenine (A)
- cytosine (C)
- guanine (G)
- uracil (U)
How does a DNA nucleotide look like?
How does a RNA nucleotide look like?
This diagram shows the directionality of a RNA and a DNA nucleotide. What does 5’ and 3’ mean?
(Read as 5 prime and 3 prime).
The ends of the DNA/RNA molecule.
The 5’ end joins with phosphate and the 3’ end with the nitrogenous base in the nucleotide
DNA is anti-parallel. What does this mean?
the 2 strands of the helix run in opposite directions
How many amino acids are there and how do we get them?
20; through your diet
What part of the amino acids makes it different from other amino acids?
The R chain
How do proteins get their structure?
Based on the order/sequence of the amino acid chains
What is the directionality of a protein?
It has a carboxyl group on one end and an amino group on the other end.
Some examples of lipids
a. cholesterol
b. triglyceride
c. phospholipids
d. fatty acids
common factors between the different lipids
- All have a hydrocarbon tail with carbon on the inside and hydrogen outside
Significance of hydrocarbons
- Have huge amount of energy
- non-polar. They do not like water (that’s why oil & water don’t mix)
Phospholipids are unique among lipids because
They have a polar portion
Lipids in cell membrane are amphipathic. What does it mean?
Have one polar end that attracts water and on non-polar ends that repels it
Saturated fats (solids)
Have hydrogen molecules throughout and are straight
Solid at room temperature (butter)
Unsaturated fats (liquids)
Do not have hydrogen molecules throughout and bend where hydrogen is missing because a double bond forms
Liquid at room temperature
How can you make an unsaturated fat solid at room temperature?
Add hydrogen.
Manipulated fats like these are trans fats and not very healthy for your heart
Amylose sugar is different from glycogen sugar in their
Bonding.
Amylose= straight
Glycogen= spherical
Glucose
Sugar with the chemical formula glucose, a six-carbon sugar with the formula
