LEC04 Flashcards
Macromolecules and Carbs
List the four main cell types.
- Muscle
- Epithelial
- Red blood cells (erythrocytes)
- Neurons
Explain the function of each of the cell types.
- Muscle - uses ATP to work
- Epithelial - keratin important for maintaining skin integrity
- Red blood cells - carries oxygen around the body through haemoglobin.
- Neurons - transmits messages and impulses and also contains neurotransmitters like serotonin and adrenaline.
What are monosaccharides?
- Simplest form of sugars
- Building blocks for more complex structures (polysaccharides)
- 3-6 carbon length
- Can be aldehydes or ketones
- Structure can be linear or cyclic
List the four types of large biological molecules.
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
- Proteins
- Nucleic acid
How do you form polymers?
Through a condensation/dehydration reaction where two monomers bond together and lose a water in the process. Enzymes can speed up this process.
How do you breakdown polymers?
Through a hydrolysis reaction where water breaks down the bonds of between each monomer. Enzymes can speed up this process.
What are disaccharides?
A sugar formed when a dehydration reaction connects two monosaccharides through a glycosidic linkage.
What is a glycosidic linkage?
A covalent bond that joins two monosaccharides (sugars).
What are polysaccharides?
Complex sugars that are built from two or more monosaccharides.
List the two categories of polysaccharides.
- Storage
- Structural
How is the function and structure of a polysaccharide determined?
The sugar monomers and the positioning of the glycosidic linkages.
Explain storage polysaccharides.
- Stores energy to be used later
- Starch is a storage polysaccharide of plants, storing granules within chloroplasts and plastids
- Glycogen is a storage polysaccharide of animals, humans store it in liver and muscle cells
Explain structural polysaccharides.
- Provides structural support and strength
- Commonly in cell walls of plants
- From glycose units, forming glycosidic bonds
