Chapter 3- The Molecules Of Cells Flashcards
Amino acid
An organic molecule containing a carbonyl group and an amino group; serves as the monomer of proteins.
Amino group
A chemical group consisting of a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms.
Anabolic steroid
A synthetic variant of the male hormone testosterone that mimics some of its effects
Carbohydrate
Member of the class of biological molecules consisting of single-monomer sugars (monosaccharides) two-monomer sugars (disaccharides), and polymers (polysaccharides).
Carbonyl group
A chemical group consisting of a carbon atom linked by a double bond to an oxygen atom.
Carboxyl group
A chemical group consisting of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and also bonded to a hydroxyl group.
Cellulose
A structural polysaccharide of plant cell walls composed of glucose monomers. Cellulose molecules are linked by hydrogen bonds into cable-like fibrils.
Disaccharide
A sugar molecule consisting of two monosaccharides linked by a dehydration reaction
Double helix
The form of native dna, referring to its two adjacent polynucleotide strands interwound into a spiral shape.
Enzyme
A macromolecule, usually a protein, that serves as a biological catalyst, changing the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed by the reaction.
Fat
A lipid composed of three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule; a triglyceride. Most fats function as energy-storage molecules.
Functional group
A specific configuration of atoms commonly attached to the carbon skeletons of organic molecules and involved in chemical reactions
Gene
A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses). Most of the genes of a eukaryote are located in its chromosomal DNA; a few are carried by the DNA of mitochondria and chloroplasts.
Gene expression
The process whereby genetic information flows from genes to proteins; the flow of genetic information from the genotype to the phenotype.
Glucose
A six-carbon monosaccharide that serves as a building block for many polysaccharides and whose oxidation in cellular respiration is a major source of ATP for cell.
Glycogen
An extensively branched glucose storage poly-saccharide found in liver and muscle cells; the animal equivalent of starch.
Hydrocarbon
An organic compound composed only of the elements carbon and hydrogen.
Hydrolysis
A chemical reaction that breaks bonds between two molecules by the addition of water; process by which polymers are broken down in an essential process of digestion.
Hydrophilic
“Water-loving”; pertaining to polar or charged molecules (or parts of molecules) that are soluble in water.
Hydrophobic
“Water-fearing”; pertaining to nonpolar molecules (or parts of molecules) that do not dissolve in water.
Hydroxyl group
A chemical group consisting of an oxygen atom bonded to a hydrogen atom.
ISOmers
Organic compounds with the same molecular formula but different structures and, therefore, different properties.
Lipid
An organic compound consisting mainly of carbon and hydrogen linked by nonpolar covalent bonds, making the compound mostly hydrophobic. Lipids include fats, phospholipid, and steroids and are insoluble in water.
Macromolecule
A giant molecule (a polysaccharide, protein, or nuclei acid) formed by the joining of smaller molecules, usually by a dehydration reaction.
Methyl group
A chemical group consisting of a carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms.
Monomer
The subunit that serves as a building block of a polymer.
Monosaccharide
The simplest carbohydrate; a simple sugar with a molecular formula that is generally some multiple of CH2O. Monosaccharides are the monomers of disaccharides and polysaccharides.
Nuclei canid
A polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers; serves as a blueprint for proteins and, through the actions of proteins, for all cellular structures and activities. The two types of nuclei acids are DNA and RNA
Nucleotide
A building block of nucleic acids, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous and or or more phosphate groups.
Organic compounds
A chemical compound containing the element carbon and usually the element hydrogen.
Peptide bond
The covalent bond between two amino acid units in a polypeptide, formed by a dehydration reaction.
Phosphate group
A chemical group consisting of a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms.
Phospholipid
A lipid made up of glycerol joined to two fatty acids and a phosphate group, giving the molecule two non polar hydrophobic tails and a polar hydrophilic head. Phospholipids form bilayers that function as biological membranes.
Polymer
A large molecule consisting of many identical or similar monomers linked together by covalent bonds.
Polypeptide
A polymer (chain) of amino acids linked by peptide bonds.
Polysaccharide
A carbohydrate polymer of many monosaccharides linked by dehydration reactions
Primary structures
The first level of protein structures; the specific sequence of amino acids making up a polypeptide chain.
Protein
A functional biological molecule consisting of one or more polypeptides folded into a specific three-dimensional structure.
Quaternary structure
The fourth level of protein structure; the shape resulting from the association of two or more polypeptide subunits
Ribonucleic acid
A type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous gases adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil; usually single-stranded; functions in protein synthesis, gene regulation, and as the genome of some viruses.
Saturated fatty acid
A fatty acid in which all carbons in hydrocarbon tail are connected by single bonds and the maximum number of hydrogen atoms are attached to the carbon skeleton. Saturated fats and fatty acids solidify at room temperature.
Secondary structure
The second level of protein structure; the regular local patterns of coils or folds in a polypeptide chain.
Starch
A storage polysaccharide in plants; a polymer of glucose.
Steroid
A type of of lipid whose carbon skeleton is in the form of four fused rings with various chemical groups attached. Examples are cholesterol, testosterone, and estrogen.
Tertiary structure
The third level of protein structure; the overall three-dimensional shape of a polypeptide due to interactions of the r groups of the amino acids making up the chain.
Trans fat
An unsaturated fat linked to health risks that is formed artificially during hydrogenation of vegetable oils.
Unsaturated fatty acid
A fatty acid that has one or more double bonds between carbons in the hydrocarbon tail and thus lack the maximum number of hydrogen atoms. Unsaturated fats and fatty acids do not solidify st room temperature.
