Fundamental Characteristics of Life, Biomolecules, and Enzymatic Catalysis

Vocabulary flashcards covering the essential characteristics of life, the structural components of biomolecules, and the mechanics of enzymatic catalysis based on the provided lecture transcript.

Living Things

Organisms that are made of cells, can reproduce, and require four essential biomolecules to function.

Cells

The fundamental biological structures that all living things are made of.

Biomolecules

The four essential biological molecules (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids) required for living organisms to function and survive.

Carbohydrate

One of the four major biological molecules essential to the survival of living organisms, including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.

Protein

One of the four major biological molecules essential to survival, which carries out cellular work in relationship with DNA and amino acids.

Lipid

One of the four major biological molecules essential to the survival of living organisms, composed of components like fatty acids.

Nucleic Acid

One of the four major biological molecules essential to survival, including DNA and RNA, composed of nucleotide subunits.

Enzyme

A biological molecule that acts as a catalyst for biological reactions.

Catalyst

An agent, such as an enzyme, that accelerates biological reactions within cells.

DNA/RNA

Nucleic acids that store genetic information and interact with amino acids and proteins to carry out cellular work.

Amino Acid

The building block molecule related to DNA and proteins in carrying out the work of cells.

Monomer

A single molecular subunit that serves as a building block for larger biomolecules.

Polymer

A large biological molecule formed by joining multiple monomer subunits together.

Monosaccharide

A single sugar monomer unit that forms carbohydrates like glucose.

Disaccharide

A carbohydrate composed of two monosaccharide sugar units bonded together.

Polysaccharide

A complex carbohydrate polymer made of many linked monosaccharide units, such as starch.

Glucose

A fundamental monosaccharide sugar used by organisms for cellular energy.

Starch

A complex polysaccharide carbohydrate used for energy storage in living organisms.

Fatty Acid

A primary building block component of lipid biomolecules.

Nucleotide

The monomer unit of nucleic acids, consisting of nitrogenous bases like adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, or uracil.

Adenine

A specific nitrogenous base component found in nucleotides of nucleic acids.

Guanine

A specific nitrogenous base component found in nucleotides within DNA and RNA.

Cytosine

A specific nitrogenous base component of nucleotides in nucleic acids.

Thymine

A specific nitrogenous base component found in nucleotides of DNA.

Uracil

A specific nitrogenous base component found in nucleotides of RNA.

Hemoglobin

A specialized functional protein involved in vital transport processes in organisms.

Insulin

A functional protein that plays a key regulatory role in cellular processes.

Protein Synthesis

The cellular process of building proteins using instructions from DNA and amino acid building blocks.

Substrate

The specific molecule that binds to an enzyme to undergo a chemical reaction.

Active Site

The specific location on an enzyme where the substrate binds to undergo catalysis.

Enzyme Substrate Complex

The temporary molecule formed when a substrate binds directly to an enzyme's active site.

Lock and Key Model

A model describing enzymatic specificity where a substrate fits into an active site like a key into a lock.

Denature

The process by which an enzyme loses its natural structure and catalytic function.

Carbon

An essential chemical element forming the foundational structure of biological biomolecules.

Hydrogen

A fundamental chemical element present in living organisms and biological molecules.

Oxygen

A key chemical element required by living things and found in organic biomolecules.

Nitrogen

A key chemical element contained in amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Phosphorous

An essential chemical element present in key biological molecules like nucleic acids.