Macromolecules

Macromolecule

A large molecule. There are four present in organisms: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids.

Monomer

A single molecule that can bond to other molecules to become a polymer.

Polymer

Multiple monomers that have bonded together.

Carbohydrate

Sugar macromolecules. Sugars have functions of both short term and long term energy use. Sugar monomers are called monosaccharides. Sugar polymers are called disaccharides (two) or polysaccharides (more than two).

Glucose

Carbohydrate monomer. (Sugar). Glucose bonds with other fructose and galactose to form disaccharides and polysaccharides.

Disaccharide

Carbohydrate polymer with exactly 2 monosaccharides. They are formed by dehydration reactions.

Polysaccharide

Carbohydrate polymer with more than 2 monosaccharides. They are linked by dehydration reactions. CHO elements are present here.

Starch

Carbohydrate polymer. Stores long term energy from plant cells.

Glycogen

Carbohydrate polymer. Stores long term energy in muscle cells.

Cellulose

Carbohydrate polymer. Dietary fiber found in plant cell walls.

Lipid

Fat macromolecule. Lipid monomers are glycerol units and three fatty acids chains. Lipid polymers are unsaturated fats, saturated fats, and steroids.

Glycerol/Fatty Acid Chains

Lipid monomers. Each fat has one glycerol head and 3 fatty acid chains

Triglyceride

Lipid polymers. Triglycerides are fats. Their functions are to store long term energy, make up structural components of cells (one example being the phospholipid bilayer of cell membranes) and also act as chemical messengers in steroids (lipids in which the carbon skeleton contains four fused rings). CHO elements are present here.

Saturated Fat

Lipid polymer. Saturated fats do not have kinks in their tails so they can pack together and are usually solid. An example of a saturated fat is butter.

Unsaturated Fat

Lipid polymer. Unsaturated fats have kinks in their tails that prevent them from packing tightly together. Some examples of unsaturated fats are olive oil and vegetable oil.

Nucleic Acid

A macromolecule that stores genetic information and is used as instructions to make proteins on the ribosomes of cells in a process called protein synthesis. Nucleic acid monomers are called nucleotides and the polymers are either DNA or RNA.

RNA

Nucleic acid polymers. RNA are similar to DNA, however, RNA macromolecules only have one helix. They also have the nitrogenous base called uracil instead of thymine, and use ribose sugar instead of deoxyribose.

DNA

Nucleic acid polymers. The sugar group bonds with the phosphate group to create the double helix shape of DNA. The nitrogenous base pairs bond to create the "code" inside the helix. DNA stores genetic information and is used as instructions to make proteins on the ribosomes of cells in a process called protein synthesis. CHNOP elements are present here.

Nucleotide

Nucleic acid monomers. They are made up of three groups - A phosphate group, a sugar group (deoxyribose), and a nitrogenous base. Nitrogenous bases have four bases (Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine, and Thymine) that bond (A and T; C and G)

Chargaff's Rule

There is an equal amount of the bases Adenine and Thymine as there are Cytosine and Guanine.

Protein

A macromolecule that performs many functions for a cell including building structural components, regulating temperature, chemical messaging, creating antibodies, defending and moving, storage, and receiving signals. A protein monomer is called an amino acid and a protein polymer is called a polypeptide.

Amino Acid

Protein monomers. They are made up of three parts - an amino group, a carboxyl group, and an R side chain. The R side chain is what differentiates the 20 different types of amino acids.

Polypeptide

Protein polymers. They are many different acids bonded together in a chain. This is caused by a dehydration reaction. A carboxyl group of one links to the amino group of another. CHNO elements are present here.

Enzyme

Proteins that act as biological catalysts, which increase the speed of chemical reactions in organisms by lowering the activation energy needed for the chemical reaction to begin.

Catalyst

A substance that increases the speed of a chemical energy.

Activation Energy

The energy needed to start a chemical energy; energy must be absorbed to break existing chemical bonds to form new chemical bonds.

Substrate

The specific reactant that an enzymes acts on (…for that specific chemical reaction in an organism).

Active Site

Region of an enzyme where the substrate temporarily binds to the enzyme.

Products

The material that the substrate is converted to after leaving the active site.

Denaturation

A no longer functional enzyme due to the wrong
temperature or pH.

Induced Fit Model

The model that describes how the
enzyme’s active site slightly changes shape when
the substrate temporarily binds to the enzyme.

Competitive Inhibitor

Reduces an enzyme’s productivity by blocking substrate molecules directly at the enzyme’s active site.