M1: Macromolecules Flashcards
macromolecule
complex molecule made up of smaller subunits
4 types of macromolecules
- proteins
- nucleic acids
- lipids
- carbohydrates (polysaccharides)
proteins overview
- polymers of amino acids
- most abundant macromolecule
functions of proteins (3)
- movement of materials into and out of cell
- serve as enzymes
- provide structure
amino acids, # essential amino acids
20, 9
largest protein
titin (has 33,000+ amino acids)
nucleic acids overview
- chemical molecules that carry genetic info w/in cell
- 2 major types: RNA + DNA
DNA
- aka deoxyribonucleic acid
- responsible for inherited characteristics of organism
- found in nucleus
RNA
- aka ribonucleic acid
- deciphers hereditary info from DNA & uses that info to make proteins
- found in nucleus, can leave
nucleotides
- building blocks of nucleic acids (DNA & RNA)
- made up of nitrogenous base + sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) + phosphate group
nitrogenous bases in DNA (4)
Adenine
Guanine
Cytosine
Thymine
nitrogenous bases in RNA (4)
Adenine
Guanine
Cytosine
Urasil
purine bases (2)
A + G
pyramidine bases (2)
C + T/U
structural composition of DNA
- nitrogenous bases protrude outward
- 2 strands form double helix
- nitrogenous bases of each strand form hydrogen bonds to hold the 2 strands together
- A bonds with T, G bonds with C
structural composition of RNA
- single stranded
- sugar = ribose
- A bonds with U (not T)
lipids overview
- mainly made up of hydrophobic hydrocarbons
- typically form lipid bilayer, where hydrophobic tails point inward and hydrophilic heads point outward
lipids function
form foundation of plasma membrane (lipid bilayer)
plasma membrane functions (2)
- makes a barrier separating inside of cell from outside environment
- restricts movement of materials in and out of cell
carbohydrates overview
- made up of C, H, and O
- formula = (CH2O)n
- 3 groups
types of carbohydrates (3)
- monosaccharides
- disaccharides
- polysaccharides
monosaccharides (3)
single sugar units
- glucose
- fructose
- galactose
disaccharides (3)
2 sugar units
- sucrose (glucose + fructose)
- maltose (glucose + glucose)
- lactose (glucose + galactose)
polysaccharides (2)
3+ sugar units
- starch (found in plants)
- glycogen (found in animals)