Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the structure and function of large biological molecules as discussed in the lecture.

Macromolecules

Large biological molecules including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Polymers

Long molecules made up of repeating units called monomers.

Monomers

The simplest form of macromolecules that can join together to form polymers.

Dehydration reaction

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

Hydrolysis

The process of breaking down polymers into monomers, which is the reverse of a dehydration reaction.

Polysaccharides

Carbohydrate macromolecules composed of many sugar building blocks.

Monosaccharides

The simplest carbohydrates, also known as simple sugars.

Glycosidic linkage

The bond formed between two monosaccharides during a dehydration reaction.

Saturated fatty acids

Fatty acids that have the maximum number of hydrogen atoms and no double bonds.

Unsaturated fatty acids

Fatty acids that contain one or more double bonds.

Triglycerides

Fats formed by the joining of three fatty acids to glycerol.

Phospholipids

Lipids that consist of two fatty acids and a phosphate group attached to glycerol.

Steroids

Lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of four fused rings.

Amino acids

Organic molecules that serve as the building blocks of proteins, containing amino and carboxyl groups.

Peptide bond

The covalent bond that links amino acids in a polypeptide chain.

Denaturation

The process in which a protein loses its native structure and, therefore, its function.

Nucleotides

The monomers that make up nucleic acids, consisting of a nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, and phosphate group.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid, a nucleic acid that carries genetic information.

RNA

Ribonucleic acid, involved in protein synthesis and gene expression.

Gene expression

The process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize a functional gene product, usually a protein.

Bioinformatics

The use of computer software and computational tools to manage and analyze biological data.