Section 1: Bioenergetics Flashcards
Formation of polymers
Forms through dehydration (- H2O)
Breaks through hydrolysis (+ H2O)
Constructed of monomers
How much of the body is occupied by polymers?
~80%
The remaining 20% of a cell are monomers and other small molecules
Types of polymers
Lipids
Polysaccharides (carbohydrates)
Proteins
Nucleic acid
Building block of lipids
Acetates, which join tgt to form acyl chains
Lipids and phosphate
Lipids can grow to form hydrophobic fatty acid (acyl) chains
Addition of phosphate makes fatty acids amphipathic
Acyl chains can be…
Saturated or unsaturated
Lipids - functions
Energy storage (mass, energy of glycogen, a complex storage sugar) Structural molecules (membranes) Steroids (all from cholesterol, some further made into electron carriers and vitamins)
Lipids: Structure of a fat molecule
Ester linkages, which link glycerol and acyl chains together
The cell membrane is formed of a…
Phospholipid bilayer
Phospholipids - replication
No genetic info required, just physical laws of stability of vesicle size
Could have been the first form of replication
How are sugars formed
From central pathways (trioses)
Monosaccharides
Single sugars
Different types
Disaccharides and oligosaccharides
Form from several mixed sugar types
Disaccharide: 2 sugar molecules
How are polysaccharides formed
Formed from many repeated sugar units connected by glycosidic bonds
Specific glycosidic bonds determine flexibility
Polysaccharides - function
Energy storage (starch and glycogen) Structural molecules - used by plants and animals to form structures, e.g. cellulose, chitin Carbohydrate residues can be joined to proteins or lipids (glycoproteins/lipids)
Starch
A storage polysaccharide in plants
Polymer of glucose monomers
Stored as granules in plastids, e.g. chloroplasts
Glycogen
Sugar storage in animals
Polymer of glucose monomers - more extensively branched than starch –> more flexible with α 1-4 bonds
Large stores in liver and muscle cells
Cellulose
Structural polysaccharide in plants
Polymer of glucose (not branched)
Stored in cell wall
Most abundant organic compound on Earth
α vs β glycosidic bonds
α1–>4: starch and glycogen
β1–>4: chitin and cellulose
Subtle difference, but profound effect
Chitin
Structural polysaccharides in animals
Polymer of glucose, but glucose monomer has a N containing appendage
Forms exoskeleton of arthropods and fungi cell walls
Nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) - function
Involved in all informational processes
Storage of chemical energy in ATP
Intracellular signalling cAMP
Phosphodiester bond
PO4 3-
Formation leads to elimination of H2O (i.e. dehydration)
Components of nucleic acids
Sugar-phosphate backbone (phosphate group and sugar)
Nitrogenous base
5’ and 3’ end
Types of nitrogenous bases
Pyrimidines:
Cytosine (C)
Thymine (T in DNA)
Uracil (U in RNA)
Purines:
Adenine (A)
Guanine (G)