Biomolecules Flashcards
What are lipids primarily made of?
Carbon and hydrogen atoms, some oxygen
Lipids are organic compounds that are hydrophobic and include fats, oils, and steroids.
What are the components of a fat molecule?
3 fatty acids joined to a molecule of glycerol
Glycerol serves as the backbone for fat molecules.
What are phospholipids made of?
A phosphate group and 2 fatty acid chains
Phospholipids are essential components of cell membranes.
What is one function of lipids?
Long-term energy storage molecules
Fats serve as a dense source of energy for organisms.
What role do phospholipids play in organisms?
Major component of cell membranes
They help form the lipid bilayer that protects the cell.
What are steroid hormones?
Chemical signals like testosterone and estrogen
Steroids are lipids that can function as hormones in the body.
What is unique about the structure of phospholipids?
One fatty acid is replaced by a polar phosphate group
This creates a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail.
What are proteins primarily made of?
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur
Proteins are essential macromolecules for biological functions.
What are proteins made of?
Smaller molecules called amino acids
There are 20 different amino acids that combine in various ways to form proteins.
How many amino acids are there?
20 amino acids
These amino acids vary in their properties and roles in proteins.
What is the function of enzymes?
Catalyze biochemical reactions
Enzymes are specialized proteins that speed up reactions in the body.
Fill in the blank: Proteins are made of _______.
Amino acids
Amino acids link together to form the primary structure of proteins.
True or False: All proteins are made from the same set of amino acids.
True
While all proteins are composed of the same 20 amino acids, their sequences and arrangements differ.
What are nucleic acids?
Molecules that store information for cellular growth and reproduction
Nucleic acids are essential for genetic information transfer.
What are the two types of nucleic acids?
- Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
- Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
DNA is double-stranded, while RNA is single-stranded.
What are nucleotides composed of?
- Nitrogenous base
- Pentose sugar
- Phosphate group
Nucleotides are the monomers that make up nucleic acids.
What pentose sugar does RNA contain?
Ribose
Ribose has a hydroxyl group (-OH) on the second carbon.
What pentose sugar does DNA contain?
Deoxyribose
Deoxyribose lacks an oxygen atom at the second carbon compared to ribose.
How are the carbon atoms in pentose sugars numbered?
With primes to distinguish them from nitrogen bases
This numbering system helps identify the structure of nucleotides.
What is the structure of a nucleotide?
Consists of a phosphate group, pentose sugar, and nitrogenous base
The nitrogenous base can be either a purine or a pyrimidine.
What is a purine?
A type of nitrogenous base found in nucleotides
Purines include adenine (A) and guanine (G).
What is a pyrimidine?
A type of nitrogenous base found in nucleotides
Pyrimidines include cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U).
Who are the key scientists associated with the discovery of DNA’s structure?
Watson, Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Erwin Chargaff
Watson and Crick’s discovery built on the foundational work of Franklin and Chargaff.
What did Rosalind Franklin’s x-ray images suggest about DNA?
DNA was a double helix of even width
Franklin’s images were pivotal in understanding the structure of DNA.
