Chap. 3: Medical Biochemistry Flashcards
4 main macromolecules:
- carbohydrates
- lipids
- proteins
- nucleic acids
Carbohydrates (state the monomer, polymer, and function)
- Monomer: monosaccharide
- Polymer: polysaccharide
- Function: the body’s primary source of energy, including energy production and energy storage
What carbohydrate does the body use as the primary source of energy?
glucose
How does the body store carbohydrates as?
the polymer: glycogen
How does the body deal with excess carbohydrates/glucose?
it either stores it as fat or excretes it as waste
What biochemistry process does the body use carbohydrates for?
cellular respiration
Lipids (state the monomer, examples, and function)
- Monomer: 1 glycerol and 3 fatty acids
- Examples: fats, waxes, sterols
- Functions: short-term energy, insulating and protecting, and structure (phospholipid bilayer)
phospholipids
- it is a main component of the cell membrane. to make up the cell membrane, it is in companion with proteins embedded into it
- semi-permeable
diffusion
net movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to lower concentration
diffusion moves from high -> low
osmosis
movement of water from a region of higher concentration to a lower concentration
diffusion of water from high -> low
hypotonic
- when compared, the concentration of solute is less
- there is a lower concentration of solute outside the cell, meaning that there is a high concentration of water outside the cell as well, which also means that there is a low concentration of water inside the cell. so by the laws of osmosis, water flows into the cell, causing it to swell
- cell swells
- outside < inside (less concentration of solute outside)
- if you want water to enter a dehydrated cell, you would submerge the cell into a hypotonic solution
- water goes into cell
isotonic
- when compared, the concentration of solute is equal/same
- cell is good
- outside = inside (concentration of solute is equal outside and inside the cell)
hypertonic
- when compared, the concentration of solute is high
- there is a higher concentration of solute outside the cell, meaning that there is a lower concentration of water outside the cell as well, which also means that there is a high concentration of water inside the cell. so by the laws of osmosis, water flows out of the cell, causing it to shrivel
- cell shrivel
- outside > inside (higher concentration of solute outside)
- if you want water to leave a swelled cell, you would submerge the cell into a hypertonic solution
- water goes out of cell
What is the cell membrane composed of?
phospholipid bilayer and proteins
Why is the phospholipid bilayer semi-permeable?
because it lets some things in and other things not
What 3 things can pass through the cell membrane without help?
water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen
H2O, CO2, O2
Proteins (state the monomer, polymer, and function)
- Monomer: amino acid
- Polypeptide: polypeptide/ protein
- Function: help fight disease, control rates of reaction (enzymes), help move things in and out of the cell (structural component)
Enzymes (state the properties and why you need them)
- Properties: it’s specific (lock and key theory), it will increase the rate of reactions, it is unchanged at the end of a reaction
- Why you need them: reactions are too slow to maintain life so these enzymes help speed those reactions up
Denaturation
denaturation happens in enzymes. it is the disruption of the 3D shape of the enzyme causing the breakage of weak bonds and the function of the enzyme is destroyed
- Causes for denaturation: unfitting pH level or temperature for the enzyme
Where are proteins made?
in the ribosomes
Lock and Key Theory
- a theory applying to enzymes.
- both enzymes and substrates have specific complementary geometric shapes. so that makes them fit into each other and the function of the enzyme is performed.
- enzymes are very specific
What are the components involved in the lock and key theory?
the enzyme, substrate, product, and active site
Nucleic acids (state the monomer, polymer, and function)
- Monomer: nucleotide
- Polymer: DNA or RNA
- Function: holds and carries genetic information
What are the four base nucleotides in DNA?
Adenine-Thymine
Guanine-Cytosine
What are the four base nucleotides in RNA?
Adenine-Uracil
Guanine-Cytosine
Human genome
the human genome is the entire set of DNA instructions found in a cell
- it has 3 billion bases and around 20,000 genes
- these genes code for specific traits and they make proteins
Epigenome
all the modifications that regulate the activity (expression) of the genes.
EX: some epigenetic changes increase your cancer risk. For instance, having a mutation in the BRCA1 gene that prevents it from working properly makes you more likely to get breast and other cancers.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) (state the definition and structure)
the source of energy for use and storage at the cellular level
- Structure: nucleoside triphosphate - nitrogenous base (adenine), a ribose sugar, and three serially bonded phosphate groups
- it’s continuously recycled in the body
Central Dogma
a theory stating that genetic information flows only in one direction, from DNA, to RNA, to protein, or RNA directly to protein. consists of replication, transcription, and translation
DNA -> RNA -> Protein
What is the monomer of nucleic acid?
nucleotides
Where in the cell can we find DNA?
nucleus
