Biological Molecules and Cell Biology 2 Flashcards
What is the most important, complex, and diverse group of biological compounds?
Proteins
Name some of the functions of proteins?
Structure, enzymes, Transport, hormones, receptors, antibodies, storage, blood, clotting, toxins, lubrication
What are the levels in protein structure?
Amino acid, dipeptide, polypeptide, protein
What is the amino group in an amino acid structure?
H2N
What is the carboxyl group in a general amino acid structure?
COOH
in a diagram of an amino acid, what does the R mean?
The R group varies in different amino acids
What is the general structure of an amino acid?
A carbon a carbon with four things attached to it: in our group, a carboxyl group, and amino group, and a hydrogen atom
What does a peptide bond look like?
The hydroxyl of one amino acid will bond with the hydrogen of the amino group of another, then the carbon and nitrogen will be attached.
What is a bond between amino acids called?
Peptide bond
What are the four levels of protein structure called?
primary, secondary, tertiary, or quaternary structure
What is the primary structure of a protein?
The sequence of amino acids that makes the polypeptide chain, primary structure determines the ultimate shape of the protein. There are limitless number of combinations.
What is the secondary structure of a protein?
this is the way the primary polypeptide chain folds. Structure is determined by hydrogen bonding between the amino and carboxyl groups of the amino acids. The two key secondary structure is: alpha helix and beta pleated sheet.
What is the alpha helix in secondary structure of a protein?
polypeptides wind into a helix, they are held together by H bonds and a very stable
What is the beta pleated sheet in secondary protein structure?
Chain zigzag forming a pleated sheet, held together by hydrogen bonds
what is the tertiary structure of a protein?
Polypeptide chain (in at secondary structure) is twisted and folded into the complex and very specific 3-D shape. This is the tertiary structure.
It’s held together by disulphide, H and ionic bonds.
What is the quaternary structure of a protein?
some proteins are made of several polypeptide (each with their own tertiary structure) linked together in various ways.
Give a description of the hydrogen bonds in the tertiary structure of proteins?
hydrogen bonds are formed between hydrogen atom from the amine group and one amino acid and electronegative oxygen from the carboxyl group on an adjacent amino acid. Electrons from the hydrogen tend to be attracted to the more positive protons in the oxygen. H, bonds are we can easily broken
give a description of disulphide bonds in the tertiary structure of proteins?
this is a single covalent bond between two sulphur atoms on adjacent cysteine amino acids. This is a very strong bond and difficult to break.
Give a description of ionic bonds in the tertiary structure of proteins?
between any carboxyl and amino acid groups not in a peptide bond, they are easily broken by changes and pH
What is the biochemical test to find out if a substance contains a protein?
Biuret test, add biuret solution to the substance and gently mix if it turns from blue to purple, it contains protein.
Which elements are present in an amino acid?
Nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon
What is chromatography?
This is the technique that can be used to distinguish between different biological molecules. It is based off different substances having different solubilities in different solvents
Why would a hydrophilic molecules move less quickly up filterpaper when a solvent is hydrophobic?
Because the solvent repels it, and so the hydrophilic molecules are more attracted to paper.
What is an RF value?
The distance, the molecule moved through the filter paper divided by the distance of the solvent moved through the paper.
Give a method to chromatography?
first, draw a straight line in pencil on filterpaper, then place the dots on the line of paper. Then lower the paper into a beaker with the solvent, just below where the line is.
What is metabolism?
The sum of all the reactions in a cell or a body.
What are enzymes?
Specific biological catalysts, the increase the speed of metabolic reactions. They are proteins with very specific tertiary structures that insure the shape of the active site will be complimentary to the substrate.
What is the active site?
The part of the enzyme that the substrate attaches to
What are enzymes made up from?
Proteins
Why do enzymes need to be folded into a very specific tertiary structure?
Because it insures the shape of the active site is complimentary to the substrate.
What is activation energy?
The amount of energy needed to make a reaction happen. (Break bonds before new bonds can be formed)
In chemistry activation energy is often provided by heating the reaction.
Living organisms cannot do this, what do they have that can lower activation energy?
enzymes lower the activation energy by splitting the reaction into smaller steps and weakening bonds in the substrate
What is formed when a substrate enters an active site?
An enzyme substrate complex.
What are enzymes do to substrates?
they lower activation energy by weakening/distorting bonds in the substrate.
What is turnover number?
The number of substrate molecules turned into product per minute by one molecule of enzyme. It is a measure of speed of the enzyme.
What is the lock and key model of enzymes?
The active site is exactly complimentary to the substrate. The substrate fits into the active site like a key in the lock
What is the induced fit model of enzymes?
The active site is not complimentary to the substrate.
The active site is flexible and changes shape (conformational shape change) as the substrate enters in order to facilitate the reaction. This stresses and distorts the bonds in the substrate.
What factors affect enzyme activity?
Temperature, Enzyme concentration, inhibitors, substrate, concentration, pH
How do you answer exam questions that use the word describe?
Describe the pattern, outline the pattern in all parts of the graph, reference specific data points.
How do you answer exam questions that use the word explain?
Make a point, Use a linking word like therefore, Follow with scientific explanation
What does increasing temperature mean for an enzyme?
An increase in kinetic energy, this means the enzyme and substrate spell collide, more frequently, and more enzyme substrate complexes will form.
What happens when the temperature is too high and goes above and enzymes optimum temperature?
The enzyme begins to denature, this means the active site is no longer complimentary to the substrate. (Due to the change in tertiary structure, because the H bonds and ionic bonds have been broken down). This means fewer ES complexes can be formed.
how do you measure how well an enzyme is working?
Measure the rate of chemical reaction
What are the two ways to measure rate of reaction?
Measure how quickly reactants are used up, or measure how quickly products are formed
what is the formula for rate of reaction?
rate of reaction= changing amount of reactant or product/ time taken for change
how do you figure out the rate of reaction for a curved graph?
Draw a tangent, make a triangle from it, take the concentration off of the time