Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules Flashcards

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1
Q

4 macromolecule classes

A
  1. Lipids (only one that is not a polymer)
  2. Carbohydrates
  3. Nucleic acids
  4. Proteins
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2
Q

Polymer

A

Long molecule made of repeating similar subunits

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3
Q

Monomer

A

Individual building block

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4
Q

How are polymers made and degraded?

A

By enzymes through dehydration and hydrolysis reactions

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5
Q

General overview of lipids

A
  • Hydrophobic
  • Not polymers
  • Functions in cell structure, energy storage and cell signalling
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6
Q

Fat biological makeup

A

Fatty acids bonded to a glycerol

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7
Q

Saturated fats

A
  • Have single bonds
  • Solid at room temperature
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8
Q

Unsaturated fats

A
  • Have double and single bonds
  • Liquid at room temperature
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9
Q

Phospholipids

A

Amphipathic molecule that form the basis of cell membranes

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10
Q

Phospholipids biological makeup

A

2 fatty acids and a phosphate group covalently bonded to a glycerol

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11
Q

Steroids biological makeup

A

Consist of four fused rings

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12
Q

Carbohydrates functions

A
  • Energy generation and storage
  • Raw material for biological molecules
  • Cell and organism structure
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13
Q

Carbohydrates simple definition

A

Monomers and polymers of sugars

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14
Q

Monosaccharide

A
  • Simple sugar monomer
  • 3 to 8 carbon atoms
  • Chemical formula that is a multiple of CH2O
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15
Q

Disaccharide

A
  • Two monosaccharides connected via covalent glycosidic linkages
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16
Q

Polysaccharide

A

Polymer of ten to thousands of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic linkages

17
Q

Nucleic acids

A
  • Polymers of nucleotides
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA)
  • Genetic material of all life on Earth
18
Q

Nucleotide

A

Has a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar and a phosphate molecule

19
Q

What is the sugar in RNA?

A

Ribose

20
Q

What is the sugar in DNA?

A

Deoxyribose

21
Q

Pyrimidines

A

Nitrogenous base that consists of one ring

22
Q

Purines

A

Nitrogenous base that consists of 2 fused rings

23
Q

How are nucleotides connected?

A

via phosphodiester linkages in nucleic acid

24
Q

What is the function of nucleic acids?

A

Storage and transmission of hereditary information

25
Q

What is a gene?

A

A stretch of DNA encoding a specific RNA or protein

26
Q

What is gene expression?

A

The production of RNA, and then protein, from a gene

27
Q

What are proteins/polypeptides made up of?

A

Polymers of amino acids

28
Q

Amino Acids

A
  • 20 amino acids
  • 4 features: alpha-carbon, amino group, carboxyl group and a side chain
29
Q

4 different categories of side chains found in amino acids

A
  1. Non-polar side chains
  2. Polar side chains
  3. Negativity charged side chains
  4. Positively charged side chains
30
Q

What is the bond between amino acids called?

A

Peptide bonds

31
Q

Primary (protein organization)

A

Linear chain of amino acids

32
Q

Secondary (protein organization)

A
  • Regions stabilized by hydrogen bonds between atoms of the polypeptide backbone
  • Alpha helix and Beta pleated sheets
33
Q

Tertiary (protein organization)

A

3D shapes stabilized by interactions between amino acid side chains

34
Q

Quaternary (protein organization)

A

Association of two or more polypeptides

35
Q

Which nitrogenous bases are pyrimidines?

A
  • Thymine
  • Cytosine
  • Uracil
36
Q

Which nitrogenous bases are purines?

A
  • Adenine
  • Guanine