Macromolecules Flashcards
Which elements are our bodies composed of?
From greatest to least?
Oxygen 65%
Carbon 18.5%
Hydrogen 9.5%
Nitrogen 3%
Other 4%
….and some Trace elements.
How many electrons in the first 3 shells?
2, 8, 18
What are elements that don’t react?
inert or noble
What is the strongest bond and why?
Covalent bonds because they share electrons.
What is the chiral carbon/molecule?
The central carbon in a stereoisomer.
Coevolution of organisms and the development of the atmosphere?
What property of carbon for organisms to survive on earth.
The ability for carbon to create so many various bonds that can resist UV rays…
What is the formula for possible stereoisomers?
2N (N= asymetric carbons)
How many asymmetric carbons in glucose?
16
What is the polymer of the monomer:
Sugar?
What is the function?
Polysaccharide
Storage
What is the polymer of the monomer:
Fatty acids?
What is the function?
Lipids, Fats, Membranes
Membrane
What is the polymer of the monomer:
Amino Acids
What is the function?
Protein
Structural functions
What is the polymer of the monomer:
Nucleotides?
What is the function?
Nucleic acids
information
When your cells are thirsty, what is the easiest way to make water?
Make polymers. Condensation reactions yield H20
What is conformation?
The 3 dimensional shape if a macromolecule
How can biological molecules automatically assume their structural shape?
A)The automatically assume their most thermodynamically stable
B) The system has evovled to be conditioned to the most stable condition.
What is the latin meaning of protein?
First.
What are some examples of enzymes?
lactase – breaks down lactose (milk sugars)
diastase – digests vegetable starch
sucrase – digests complex sugars and starches
maltase – digests disaccharides to monosaccharides (malt sugars)
glucoamylase – breaks down starch to glucose
protease – breaks down proteins found in meats, nuts, eggs, and cheese
lipase – breaks down fats found in most dairy products, nuts, oils, and meat
cellulase – breaks down cellulose, plant fibre; not found in humans
What are some examples of structural proteins?
keratins - form the protective covering of all land vertebrates: skin, fur, hair, wool, claws, nails, hooves, horns, scales, beaks and feathers.
actin and myosin - muscle tissue.
silks and insect fibers.
collagens - form connective ligaments within the body and give extra support to the skin where needed.
What are some examples of motility proteins?
myosin - “motors” the contraction of muscle fibers in animals. Kinesins and cytoplasmic dyneins play essential roles in intracellular transport such as axonal transport and in the formation of the spindle apparatus and the separation of the chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis.
Axonemal dynein, found in cilia and flagella, is crucial to cell motility, for example in spermatozoa, and fluid transport, for example in trachea.
What are examples of regulatory proteins?
RNA and DNA Polymerase
What are examples of transport proteins?
Hemoglobin, Transferrin
What are examples of hormonal proteins?
Insulin - regulates glucose metabolism by controlling the blood-sugar concentration. Oxytocin - stimulates contractions in females during childbirth.
Somatotropin - is a growth hormone that stimulates protein production in muscle cells.
What are some examples of receptor proteins?
Interferon
EGD receptors
What are some examples of defensive proteins?
Immunoglobin
What is an example of a storage protein?
Ferritin
How many nucleotides in the human genome?
About 3 billion
What is a peptide?
Short chains of amino acid monomers
