Ch. 5 Vocab Flashcards
a sugar (monosaccharide) or one of its diners (disaccharides) of polymers (polysaccharides)
carbohydrates
a chemical agent that increases the rate of reaction without being consumed by the reaction
catalyst
a structural polysaccharide of plant cell walls, consisting of glucose monomers joined by glycosidic linkages
cellulose
protein molecules that assist in the proper folding of other proteins
chaperonins
a steroid that forms an essential component of animal cell membranes and acts as a precursor molecule for the synthesis of other biologically important steroids, such as hormones
cholesterol
a reaction in which two molecules become covalently bonded to each other through the loss of a small molecule, usually water, in which case it is also called a dehydration reaction
condensation reaction
a chemical reaction in which two molecules covalently bond to each other with the removal of a water molecule
dehydration synthesis
in proteins, a process in which a protein unravels and loses its native shape, thereby becoming biologically inactive; in DNA, the separation of the two strands of the double helix; occurs under extreme conditions of pH, salt concentration, and temperature
denaturation
a double sugar consisting of two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic linkage formed during dehydration synthesis
disaccharide
a strong covalent bond formed when the sulfur of one cysteine monomer bonds to the sulfur of the cysteine monomer
disulfide bridges
a double-stranded nucleic acid molecule, consisting of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T); capable of being replicated and determining the inherited structure of a cell’s proteins
DNA
the form of native DNA, referring to its two adjacent anti parallel polynucleotide strands wound around an imaginary axis into a spiral shape
double helix
macromolecules serving as catalysts
enzymes
a lipid consisting of three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule; aka triacylglycerol or triglyceride
fat
a long carbon chain carboxylic acid; vary in length and in the number and location of double bonds
fatty acid
a discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses)
gene
an extensively branched glucose storage polysaccharide found in the liver and muscle of animals; the animal equivalent of starch
glycogen
a covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides by a dehydration reaction
glycosidic linkage
a chemical process that lyses, or splits, molecules by the addition of waters functioning in disassembly of polymers to monomers
hydrolysis
one of a group of compounds, including fats, phospholipids, and steroids, that mix poorly, if at all, with water
lipids
a giant molecule formed by the joining of smaller molecules, usually by a condensation reaction
macromolecule
the subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer
monomer
the simplest carbohydrate, active alone or serving as a monomer for disaccharides and polysaccharides; simple sugars whose molecular formula are generally some multiple of CH2O
monosaccharides
a polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers; serves as a blueprint for proteins, through the actions of proteins, for all cellular activities
nucleic acids
the covalent bond between the carboxylic group on one amino acid and the amino group of another, formed by a dehydration reaction
peptide bond
lipids made up of glycerol joined to two fatty acids and a phosphate group; form bilayers that function as biological membranes
phospholipids
a long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together
polymer
a polymer of many amino acids linked together by peptide bonds
polypeptide
a polymer of many monosaccharides, formed by dehydration reactions
polysaccharide
the level of protein structure referring to the specific sequence of amino acids
primary structure
a functional biological molecule consisting of one or more polypeptides folded and coiled into a specific three-dimensional structure
protein
one of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides; characterized by a six-members ring fused to a five-membered ring (adenine and guanine)
purine
one of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring (cytosine, thymine, uracil)
pyrimidine
the particular shape of a complex, aggregate protein, defined by the characteristic three-dimensional arrangement of its constituent subunits, each a polypeptide
quarternary structure
a type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil; usually single-stranded; functions in protein synthesis, gene regulation, and as the genome of some viruses
RNA
a fatty acid in which all carbons in the hydrocarbon tail are connected by single bonds, thus maximizing the number of hydrogen atoms that are attached to the carbon skeleton
saturated fatty acid
the localized, repetitive coiling or folding of the polypeptide backbone of a protein due to hydrogen bond formation between constituents of the backbone
secondary structure
a storage polysaccharide in plants, consisting entirely of glucose monomers joined by glycosidic linkages
starch
a type of lipid characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of four rings with various chemical groups attached
steroid
irregular contortions of a protein molecule due to interactions or side chains involved in hydrophobic interactions, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and disulfide bridges
tertiary structure
an unsaturated fat containing one or more trans double bonds
trans fat
fatty acids possessing one or more double bonds between the carbons in the hydrocarbon tail; reduces the number of hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon skeleton
unsaturated fatty acids
a technique that depends on the diffraction of an X-Ray beam by the individual atoms of a crystallized molecule to study the three-dimensional structure of the molecule
X-Ray crystallography
An organic molecule possessing both carboxyl and amino groups; monomers of polypeptides
amino acid
