Biological Macromolecules Flashcards

Flashcards covering biological macromolecules, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

What are the single subunits that make up biological macromolecules?

Monomers

What type of bond forms when monomers combine to form polymers?

Covalent bonds

What elements are contained in organic compounds?

Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur (CHONPS)

What process involves monomers combining to form polymers by releasing water?

Dehydration synthesis

What process involves a polymer breaking down into monomers by adding water?

Hydrolysis

What enzymes break down carbohydrates?

Amylase, sucrase, lactase, or maltase

What breaks down proteins?

Pepsin, peptidase, and hydrochloric acid

What breaks down Lipids?

Lipases

What is another name for Carbohydrates?

Watered carbon

What is the most abundant and widespread group of organic substances?

Carbohydrates

How are carbohydrates formed?

Photosynthesis

What are monomers of carbohydrates called?

Monosaccharides

What are two characteristics of monosaccharides?

Sweet-tasting and soluble

What is the most common number of carbon atoms in monosaccharides?

5 or 6

What are three examples of monosaccharides?

Glucose, fructose, and galactose

Which monosaccharide is the main fuel source?

Glucose

What is formed when 2 monosaccharides join together?

Disaccharide

What type of bond joins two monosaccharides together?

Glycosidic bond

Name three examples of disaccharides.

Sucrose, lactose, maltose

What two monosaccharides make up sucrose?

Glucose and fructose

What two monosaccharides make up lactose?

Glucose and galactose

What monosaccharide makes up maltose?

Glucose

What byproducts are formed when two simple sugars are linked together through Glycosidic Bonds?

H2O

What must molecules be broken down into before it's energy can be utilized by living things?

Monosaccharides

What are many sugars called?

Polysaccharides

What are two characteristics of polysaccharides?

Not sweet and not soluble

What are three examples of polysaccharides?

Starch, glycogen, cellulose, or chitin

What polysaccharide is used for energy storage in plants?

Starch

What polysaccharide is used for energy storage in animals?

Glycogen

What polysaccharide provides protection and a structural component of plant cell walls?

Cellulose

What polysaccharide makes up the exoskeleton of insects and crustaceans?

Chitin

Why are lipids largely nonpolar?

Due to nonpolar C-C or C-H bonds

What causes lipids to be oily and not attracted to water?

Hydrocarbon chains

Are lipids soluble in water?

No, they are insoluble

What are lipids used for?

Energy sources

What lipid consist of a glycerol molecule with 3 fatty acid chains?

Fats (Triglycerides)

What bond is formed when a fatty acid reacts with glycerol?

Ester bond

How many water molecules are released when glycerol bonds with 3 fatty acids?

3

Fatty acids with single bonds in hydrocarbon chains are called?

Saturated fatty acids

Are saturated fatty acids solid or liquid at room temperature?

Solid

Give an example of saturated fatty acids.

Butter, lard, animal fats

Fatty acids with one or more double bonds between carbon atoms are called?

Unsaturated fatty acids

Are unsaturated fatty acids solid or liquid at room temperature?

Liquid

Give examples of unsaturated fatty acids.

Olive, sunflower, vegetable oils

What type of molecules are fatty acids?

Amphipathic

The process to make liquid oils more solid at room temperature is called?

Hydrogenation

What type of lipid is a major component of the plasma membrane?

Phospholipids

Name three examples of steroids.

Testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, and vitamin D

Where is cholesterol synthesized?

Liver

What is a cholesterol precursor to?

Steroid hormones (testosterone)

What lipid forms a water repellent layer and is completely water-insoluble?

Waxes

Name two examples in nature of Waxes

Bird feathers and exoskeleton of insects

What are the most abundant organic molecules?

Proteins

What are the monomers of proteins?

Amino acids

How many amino acids are there?

20

What are the components of an amino acid?

Central carbon, amino group, carboxyl group, hydrogen atom, and R group

What makes each of the 20 amino acids unique?

R group

How many amino acids are considered essential?

9

What is the Feature and R group of Glycine?

Feature: Simplest and most flexible amino acid, R group: A single hydrogen atom

What is the Feature and R group of Alanine?

Feature: Small and nonpolar, slightly bulkier than glycine, R group: Methyl group (-CH₃)

What is the Feature and R group of Cysteine?

Feature: Can form strong covalent disulfide bridges for stabilizing protein tertiary and quaternary structure, R group: Has sulfhydryl group (-SH)

What is the Feature and R group of Proline?

Feature: Causes rigid bends or kinks in the polypeptide chain, R group: Forms a ring structure by bonding to the amino group of the backbone.

What bond forms between adjacent amino acids?

Peptide bond

What is a long chain of amino acids called?

Polypeptide

What level of protein structure is simply a chain of amino acids?

Primary structure

What level of protein structure involves alpha-helices or beta-pleated sheets?

Secondary structure

What level of protein structure is the overall 3D shape of the polypeptide?

Tertiary Structure

What level of protein structure involves multiple polypeptide chains?

Quaternary structure

What causes protein denaturation?

Change in pH or Temperature

What causes protein Folding?

Chaperones

What are the digestive enzymes that digest food by catabolizing nutrients into monomeric units?

Amylase, lipase, pepsin, trypsin

What proteins carry substances in the blood or lymph throughout the body

Transport proteins

What proteins construct different structures like the cytoskeleton of the cell?

Structural proteins

What proteins Coordinate the activity of different body systems?

Hormone proteins

What proteins Protect the body from foreign pathogens?

defensive proteins

What proteins Effect muscle contraction?

Contractile proteins

What proteins Provide nourishment in early development of the embryo and seedling?

Storage proteins