Molecular Biology Flashcards
Carbohydrates
Monosaccharides: Sugars: Carbonyl and Hydroxyl
Lipids
Fatty acids: Triglycerole: Carbonyl, Hydroxyl and hydrocarbon tail
Nucleic Acids
Nucleotides: Phosphate group, 5 carbon sugar(ribose), and pyrimoine or purine
Proteins
Amino acids: polypeptides: Carboxyl and Amine
Macromolecule
A large molecule commonly created by polymerization
Polymer
A molecule consisting of many similar building blocks linked by covalent bonds
Monomer
The building blocks of a polymer
Condensation reaction
When two molecules are covalently bonded together through loss of a water molecule: hydroxyl group and a hydrogen (dehydration synthesis)
Hydrolysis
The process of disassembling polymers by adding water
Disaccharides
Double sugars; two monosaccharides are joined by a covalent bond
Monosaccharides
Simple sugars
Ribose
C5H10O5: 5 carbon sugar
Glucose
C6H12O6: carbonyl group and hydroxyl group
Cellular respiration
Cells extract energy in a series of reactions starting with glucose
C6H12O6+6O2=6CO2+6H2O+ATP
Glycosidic linkagee
A covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides by a condensation reaction
Isomer
Compounds with the same molecular formulas but different structural formulas
Structural polysaccharide
Cellulose and Chitin
Storage polysaccharide
Starch and glycogen: releases energy by hydrolysis
Fatty acid
hydrocarbon tail
Glycerol
An alcohol with three carbons, each with a hydroxyl group
Ester linkage
Bond between hydroxyl group and carboxyl group
Unsaturated fat
At room temp the molecules cannot pack closely enough together to solidify because of kinks in their fatty acid hydrocarbon chains: i.e. one or more double bonds
Trans fat
Produced when hydrogenating vegetable oils
Phospholipid
Two fatty acid tails, glycerol joined to a phosphate group, hydrophobic tails and hydrophilic heads
Polypeptides
Polymers of amino acids
Amino acid components
Amine group, central carbon, carboxyl group, hydrogen and R group
Peptide bond
Covalent chemical bond between two amino acids
Protein structure: Primary
Sequence of amino acids chained together by condensation reactions and peptide bonds
Protein structure: Secondary
A helix and B pleated sheet: held together by hydrogen bonds
Protein structure: Tertiary
Involves R groups, hydrogen bonds and disulfide bridges
Denaturation
Protein loses shape: caused by pH, salt concentration and temp
Chaperonins
Assist in proper folding of other proteins
Purine
Nitrogen containing base (Adenine, Guanine)
Pyrimoine
Smaller than purine (Thymine, Cytosine)
Phosphediester linkage
Bond from one phosphate group to other nucleotide
Metabolism
All chemical reactions that happen in the cell
Catabolic pathways
Exergonic, hydrolysis: release energy by breaking down complex molecules into simpler ones
Anabolic pathways
Endergonic, condensation reaction: consumer energy to build molecules from simpler ones
Energy
capacity to do work
2nd law of thermodynamics
Every energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe
Entropy
chaos, disorder
Free energy
Portion of a systems energy that can be used to do work
ATP
Powers cellular work by energy coupling
Energy coupling
Exergonic to endergonic
Work of ATP
Mechanical: contraction of muscle cells
Transport: pump substances across membrane
Chemical: pushing exergonic reactions to react
Structure of ATP
Adenosine Triphosphate: Adenine+Ribose+Phosphate (3)
Enzyme
Catalytic proteins that speed up a reaction by lowering the activation energy - can be reused
Substrate
What the enzyme acts on - induced fit
Active site
The region on the enzyme that binds to the substrate
Allosteric inhibitor
Deforms active site
Van der Waals
“Gecko toes”
Allosteric activator
Stabilizes active site
Photosynthesis
Endergonic
Phosphorylated
When an ATP phosphate is transferred to a second molecule
Methane formula
One less hydrogen than water and non polar
Matter
Anything that takes up space and has mass
Element
A substance that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical reaction
Compound
A substance consisting of tow or more elements combined
