Macromolecules Flashcards
What are carbs and sugars used for? (3 things)
Fuel source for chemical energy
Structure
Cell recognition and communication
Name four important macromolecule groups
Sugars and carbs
Lipids
Nucleic acids
Proteins
What is the difference between Alfa-glucose and Beta-glucose?
Alpha has the two hydroxyl groups on the same side of the plane, Beta has one on either side.
What is a name for a carb bent in a circle?
Saccharide
What are two polysaccharides used for storage?
Glycogen and starch
What are two polysaccharides used for structure?
Cellulose and chitin
What is the structure of proteins?
Polymers of amino acids
How many amino acids are there?
20
What’s the typical pH of a cell?
7.2
What three functional groups make up the backbone of an amino acid?
- Amino group
- Hydrogen
- Carboxyl group
How do amino acids connect?
Through dehydration synthesis, the carboxylate group of one connects with the amino group of another amino acid
What are the properties of polar amino acids?
A lot of hydrogen bonds, which results in an uneven charge
They are very hydrophilic
What are properties of non-polar amino acids?
No hydrogen bonds, so balanced charge
Hydrophobic
What does primary structure look like?
A long flat sheet
What can secondary structure look like?
Alpha-helix OR a beta-pleated sheet
What happens in tertiary structure?
The protein starts to fold, and it becomes a subunit
Quaternary structure: what happens here?
4 subunits form a protein
Hormonal proteins: what do they do?
Coordination of an organism’s activities
Example: insulin, stimulates cells to take up glucose
Receptor proteins: what do they do?
Function: response of cell to chemical stimuli
Example: receptors in nerve cell detect signalling molecules
Contractile and motor proteins: what do they do?
Function: movement
Examples: motor proteins
Structural proteins?
Function is structure
Example is keratin, used in hair
What are enzymatic proteins?
Acceleration of chemical reactions
Defence proteins?
Protect from disease
Antibodies are an example
Storage proteins
Function: storage of amino acids
Example: casein, the protein in milk, holds amino acids
Transport proteins
Transports substances, duh
Example: hemoglobin
Lipids definition
Hydrophobic
They are not polymers
They make up the fatty acids
Foundation of all biological membranes
What is molecule called that has a polar and no polar region?
Amphipathic
What are specialized cells that store triglycerides called
Adipocytes
What is a triglyceride made of?
1 glycerin and 3 fatty acids
These are lipids to which a mono or oligo Saccharide is added and
Used for cell recognition
Glycolipids
What are characteristic of all steroids?
Four aromatic rings
What are the three components of a steroid?
Polar OH group
Four joined aromatic rings (sterol core)
Carbon chain tail
What are the four nucleotides in DNA?
What is replaced in RNA, and what is that called?
Adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine
Thymine, replaced with uracil
The three components of a nucleotide
Phosphate group
Sugar
Nitrogenous base
What functional group branches off the end of a fatty acid carbon chain?
Carboxilic acid
What are fat cells called?
Adipocytes
What is the difference between a liposome and a micelle?
Liposomes have a hole in the middle
What is the main steroid in invertebrates?
Cholesterol
What two polysaccharides serve as storage?
Glycogen and starch
What are two of the bonds found in tertiary structure?
Hydrogen and disulphides bonds
What is a glycolipid?
Used for recognition, signalling, and binding on the outside of the cell
What are glycolipids attached to in the plasma membrane
Ceramide
What is the length of a base Skelton of an amino acid?
110 daltons
Where are steroids produced?
Mitochondria
What is the structure of centrioles
9 Microtubules triplets in a ring
