Biology I for Non-Majors: Important Biological Macromolecules

Vocabulary practice exploring the foundational biological macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, along with their structures and functions.

Carbon

The "foundation" element for molecules in living things, containing 4 electrons that allow it to form four covalent bonds.

Carbohydrates

Biological macromolecules represented by the molecular structure $CH_2O$, where the ratio of carbon to hydrogen to oxygen is $1:2:1$.

Monosaccharides

Simple sugars with three to seven carbons and names usually ending in the suffix "-ose," such as glucose.

Aldose

A monosaccharide that contains an aldehyde group.

Keose

A monosaccharide that contains a ketone group.

Disaccharides

Molecules formed when two monosaccharides undergo a dehydration reaction; examples include lactose, maltose, and sucrose.

Lactose

A disaccharide found in milk composed of glucose and galactose monomers.

Maltose

A disaccharide formed by a dehydration reaction between two glucose molecules.

Sucrose

Sugar composed of the monomers glucose and fructose.

Polysaccharides

Long chains of monosaccharides linked by covalent bonds, such as starch, glycogen, cellulose, and chitin.

Starch

The storage form of sugars in plants, synthesized from glucose.

Glycogen

The storage form of glucose in humans, made of monomers of glucose.

Cellulose

A polysaccharide that forms the cell walls of plants to provide structural support.

Chitin

A type of nitrogenous carbohydrate.

Lipids

Largely nonpolar hydrocarbons that are insoluble in water; they include fats, oils, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids.

Saturated fats

Fats containing only single bonds between carbons that pack tightly and are solid at room temperature.

Unsaturated fats

Fats containing at least one double bond between carbons that are liquid at room temperature and usually of plant origin.

Essential fatty acids

Fatty acids required by the human body that cannot be synthesized by it.

Phospholipids

The major constituent of the plasma membrane, composed of fatty acid chains (hydrophobic) attached to glycerol and a phosphate group (hydrophilic).

Steroids

A group of lipids that include cholesterol, which is synthesized in the liver and serves as a precursor to hormones like testosterone.

Waxes

Lipids made up of a hydrocarbon chain with an alcohol group and a fatty acid; examples include beeswax and lanolin.

Proteins

Versatile organic molecules made of amino acids that serve structural, regulatory, contractile, protective, transport, or storage functions.

Amino acids

The monomers that make up proteins; their specific sequence and number determine a protein's shape, size, and function.

Secondary structure

Protein patterns resulting from interactions between non-R group portions of amino acids.

Tertiary structure

The protein structure caused by chemical interactions between various amino acids.

Quaternary structure

The level of protein structure formed from the interaction of several polypeptides.

Denaturation

The process where a protein loses its shape, which is often reversible.

Digestive Enzymes

Proteins such as amylase, lipase, pepsin, and trypsin that help in food digestion by catabolizing nutrients.

Immunoglobulins

Proteins that provide defense by protecting the body from foreign pathogens.

Nucleic Acids

Molecules made up of repeating units of nucleotides that direct cellular activities, including DNA and RNA.

DNA

The genetic material with a double-helical structure that carries heritable information.

RNA

A nucleic acid involved in protein synthesis; varieties include messenger (mRNA), ribosomal, transfer, small nuclear, and microRNA.