Metabolism Flashcards
Macromolecules
The large molecules necessary for life that are built from smaller organic molecules.
4 macromolecules
Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids
Macromolecules structure
These macromolecules are often complex in nature but really are just polymers
* Long molecules made up of similar building blocks of smaller molecules
* Most of these polymers can be broken
down relatively easily through hydrolysis
(Carbohydrates, Proteins and Nucleic
Acids)
* Lipids are broken down by lipolysis
carbohydrates
- Are saccharides
- They are all built on a C(H2 O)n formula which represents a carbon backbone is attached to a 2:1 hydrogen:oxygen ratio
- This enables a ton of different configurations that are easy to build and break-a-part.
- These can be used as fuel sources or converted to other organic molecules
Types of carbohydrates
- Monosaccharides (1 sugar)
- Disaccharides (2 sugars)
- Polysaccharides (many sugars)
Monosaccharides
- These are the simplest sugars and can not be broken down by hydrolysis into smaller carbohydrate molecules
- They can readily be used as fuel sources in the body
Monosaccharides types
Glucose, Fructose and Galactose all have the same formula (C6 H 12 O6 ) are regarded as dietary monosaccharides since they are readily absorbed by the small intestines.
Glucose
An important source of energy. During cellular respiration, energy is released from glucose and that energy is used to help make adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
fructose
A naturally occurring sugar often found in fruits, fruit juices, honey and some vegetables. It is often used in the body to aid in glycolysis and helps replenish liver glycogen stores
Ribose
- (C5 H10 O5)
- Is the pentose sugar component of the nucleotides of RNA
Deoxyribose
- (C5 H10 O4)
- The sugar component of the nucleotides of DNA
Disaccharides
These form when two monosaccharides are joined together
* One of the monosaccharides is always glucose
Disaccharide types:
Sucrose, lactose, Maltose
Sucrose
- Most common dietary disaccharide and can make up to 25% of the calories
consumed in the USA - Occurs naturally and is in most foods that contain carbohydrates
lactose
- Only natural source is from milk and milk sugar products
- This is not found in plants
- Is the least sweet of the three main dietary disaccharides
Maltose
- Made from two glucose molecules
- Found in beer, breakfast cereals, and germinating seeds
- Only contributes a small amount to the dietary carbohydrate consumption totals
Polysaccharides
A long chain of monosaccharides is known as a polysaccharide (“many”)
* The chain may be branched or unbranched, and it may contain different types of monosaccharides.
Polysaccharides Types
Starch, glycogen, cellulose and chitin
Starch
Is the storage form of carbohydrates within plants.
Starch two main forms:
- Amylose: long, straight chains that are twisted to form helical coils (slow to
breakdown) - Amylopectin: highly branched glucose chains (fast to breakdown)
Glycogen
- Is the storage form of carbohydrates within animals (Muscle and Liver)
- Highly branched (similar to amylopectin and is fast to breakdown)
- Converted to glucose in the body via glycogenolysis
cellulose
- Most abundant naturally occurring polysaccharide
- Found in plant walls and provides the structural support to the cell
- Made of long-straight chains which provide plant cells with their rigidity
- Very hard to breakdown
Chitin
- Found in the exoskeleton of arthropods and provides the structural support to
the cell - Similar to cellulose it is made of long-
straight chains which provide rigidity to
the shells (Also in fungal cell walls) - Can be made into flexible surgical thread that decomposes over time
Proteins
Perform essential functions throughout our systems. These long chains of amino acids are critically important.
Proteins importance
- Catalyzing chemical reactions
- Synthesizing and repairing DNA
- Transporting materials across the cell
- Receiving and sending chemical signals
- Responding to stimuli
- Providing structural suppor
Protein structure
Proteins are made from polymers of specific amino acid sequences that form polypeptide chains
* There are 20 different amino acids required by the body and these are used to make up all of our proteins
* In total there are about 50,000 different proteins in the human body! (all with unique functions)
Protein shape
- The function of each protein will depend on how each protein is shaped.
- As such, any small change to the form of a protein can greatly alter it’s function and result in the protein becoming dysfunctional (sickle cell anemia)
Enzymes
Are proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions, which otherwise would not take place.
Why are enzymes essential
- Enzymes are essential for chemical processes like digestion and cellular
metabolism. - Without enzymes, most physiological processes would proceed so slowly (or not at all) that life could not exist.
Two types of enzymes
Anabolic and catabolic enzymes
Anabolic enzymes
enzymes that build more complex molecules from their substrate
Catabolic
enzymes that break down their substrate
Enzymes in digestion
breaking larger food molecules down into subunits small enough to diffuse through a
cell membrane and to be used by the cell (Catabolic Enzymes)
Enzymes that help: Amylase, pepsin, lipase, trypsin
Amylase
digestion carbohydrates in the mouth and small intestine
Pepsin
digestion of proteins in the stomach
Lipase
emulsify fats in the small intestine
Trypsin
further digestion of proteins in the small intestine
Hormones
are often proteins that are secreted by endocrine cells and act to control or regulate specific physiological processes:
* Growth
* Development
* Metabolism
* Reproduction
Insulin
A protein hormone that helps to regulate blood glucose levels