CH 5 - The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

These flashcards cover key concepts and details from the lecture on large biological molecules, including their structures, functions, and classifications.

What are the four important classes of biological molecules mentioned in the lecture?

Carbohydrates, Proteins, Nucleic acids, and Lipids.

What are macromolecules?

Large polymers built from monomers.

What is a monomer?

The repeating unit that serves as the building block of a polymer.

What is a dehydration reaction?

A reaction where two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule.

What reaction is essentially the reverse of dehydration?

Hydrolysis.

What is the simplest form of carbohydrates?

Monosaccharides.

What are polysaccharides?

Polymers composed of many sugar building blocks.

What is the most common monosaccharide?

Glucose (C6H12O6).

How are monosaccharides classified?

By the location of the carbonyl group (aldose or ketose) and the number of carbons in the carbon skeleton.

What is a glycosidic linkage?

The covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides during the dehydration reaction.

What are the storage polysaccharides mentioned in the lecture?

Starch in plants and glycogen in animals.

What is cellulose and its function?

A major component of the tough cell wall of plant cells.

What are lipids characterized by?

Their hydrophobic nature and that they do not include true polymers.

What is the basic structure of fats?

Constructed from glycerol and fatty acids.

What is the major function of fats?

Energy storage.

What are the main components of a phospholipid?

Two fatty acids and a phosphate group attached to glycerol.

What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?

Saturated fats have no double bonds and are solid at room temperature, while unsaturated fats have one or more double bonds and are liquid at room temperature.

What do enzymes do?

They act as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions.

What is the primary structure of a protein?

The unique sequence of amino acids in a protein.

What factors can affect protein structure?

Physical and chemical conditions such as pH, salt concentration, and temperature.

What are nucleic acids responsible for?

Storing, transmitting, and expressing hereditary information.

What are the two types of nucleic acids?

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).

What is the sequence of molecules that genetic information flows through?

DNA → RNA → protein.

What links nucleotides in a polynucleotide?

Phosphodiester linkages.

What are the four important classes of biological molecules mentioned in the lecture?

Carbohydrates, Proteins, Nucleic acids, and Lipids.

What are macromolecules?

Large polymers built from monomers.

What is a monomer?

The repeating unit that serves as the building block of a polymer.

What is a dehydration reaction?

A reaction where two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule.

What reaction is essentially the reverse of dehydration?

Hydrolysis.

What is hydrolysis and how does it break bonds?

Hydrolysis is a reaction that breaks down polymers into monomers by adding a water molecule, essentially reversing the dehydration reaction.

What is the simplest form of carbohydrates?

Monosaccharides.

What are polysaccharides?

Polymers composed of many sugar building blocks.

What is the most common monosaccharide?

Glucose (C6H12O6).

How are monosaccharides classified?

By the location of the carbonyl group (aldose or ketose) and the number of carbons in the carbon skeleton.

What is a glycosidic linkage?

The covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides during the dehydration reaction.

What is the storage polysaccharide in plants?

Starch.

What is the storage polysaccharide in animals?

Glycogen.

What is cellulose and its function?

A major component of the tough cell wall of plant cells.

What are lipids characterized by?

Their hydrophobic nature and that they do not include true polymers.

What is the basic structure of fats?

Constructed from glycerol and fatty acids.

What is the major function of fats?

Energy storage.

What are the main components of a phospholipid?

Two fatty acids and a phosphate group attached to glycerol.

What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?

Saturated fats have no double bonds and are solid at room temperature, while unsaturated fats have one or more double bonds and are liquid at room temperature.

What do enzymes do?

They act as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions.

What is the primary structure of a protein?

The unique sequence of amino acids in a protein.

What is the secondary structure of a protein?

Coils (\alpha helix) and folds (\beta pleated sheet) in the polypeptide chain, resulting from hydrogen bonds between repeating constituents of the polypeptide backbone.

What is the tertiary structure of a protein?

The overall three-dimensional shape of a polypeptide, resulting from interactions between the R-groups of the amino acids.

What is the quaternary structure of a protein?

The overall protein structure that results from the aggregation of two or more polypeptide subunits.

What factors can affect protein structure?

Physical and chemical conditions such as pH, salt concentration, and temperature.

What are nucleic acids responsible for?

Storing, transmitting, and expressing hereditary information.

What are the two types of nucleic acids?

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).

What is the sequence of molecules that genetic information flows through?

DNA \rightarrow RNA \rightarrow protein.

What are purines?

Nitrogenous bases characterized by a six-membered ring fused to a five-membered ring, found in nucleic acids (Adenine and Guanine).

What are pyrimidines?

Nitrogenous bases characterized by a single six-membered ring, found in nucleic acids (Cytosine, Thymine, and Uracil).

What links nucleotides in a polynucleotide?

Phosphodiester linkages.