Introduction to Organic Macromolecules and Human Anatomy

Vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture covering organic macromolecules, monosaccharides, fats, phospholipids, steroids, proteins, and genetic fundamentals.

Organic Macromolecules

The four fundamental categories of carbon-based molecules—sugars, fats, proteins, and nucleic acids—that describe human anatomy and physiology.

Monosaccharides

The simplest form of sugars, categorized primarily into six-carbon sugars and five-carbon sugars.

Glucose

The most important six-carbon monosaccharide in human physiology, serving as the primary starting point for energy production and the preferred energy source for the nervous system.

ATP

The molecule that represents the form of usable energy for humans.

Deoxyribose

A five-carbon sugar used to construct the genetic material DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).

Ribose

A five-carbon sugar used by cells to construct RNA (ribonucleic acid).

Polysaccharides

Complex polymers of sugar, also known as starches, created by linking simple sugars together.

Glycogen

The primary stored polysaccharide polymer in humans, located predominantly in the liver and muscle tissues.

Triglycerides

A major category of lipids composed of three carbon chains linked to a glycerol molecule, providing significantly more energy per gram than sugars.

Saturated Fats

Fats typically derived from animals whose carbon chains are completely saturated with hydrogen atoms.

Unsaturated Fats

Fats typically derived from plants that are missing hydrogen atoms along their carbon chains.

Phospholipids

Self-assembling fat molecules made in body cells that form the structural anatomy of all cell membranes.

Steroids

Lipid molecules defined by a basic structure consisting of three six-membered carbon rings attached to one five-membered carbon ring.

Cholesterol

The lipid precursor molecule from which all steroid hormones (such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) are derived.

Collagen

The primary structural protein found in the human body.

Amino Acids

The foundational building blocks that join together to construct dipeptides and functional proteins.

Central Dogma

The core scientific principle describing how genes on DNA provide the instructions for assembling amino acids into proteins.

Human Genome Project

The research initiative, led in part by Francis Collins, that mapped and isolated every sequence of DNA letters involved in protein production.