Macromolecules: The Big Guns of Biology (Module 5 Study Guide )

Module: 5

What are the four main types of macromolecules?

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

What are monomers?

Smaller, simpler units that make up polymers.

What is dehydration reaction?

A reaction where monomers link together, losing a water molecule in the process.

What is hydrolysis?

A reaction that adds water to break the bonds between monomers.

What do enzymes do?

Enzymes are special proteins that speed up chemical reactions like dehydration and hydrolysis.

What are the types of carbohydrates?

Monosaccharides (simple sugars), disaccharides (double sugars), and polysaccharides (complex carbs).

What is glucose?

The most important monosaccharide that cells use for energy in cellular respiration.

What is a glycosidic linkage?

A type of bond formed between two monosaccharides during dehydration to form a disaccharide.

What are polysaccharides?

Large carbohydrates that store energy (like starch and glycogen) or provide structure (like cellulose and chitin).

What is starch?

A polysaccharide that plants use to store glucose.

What is glycogen?

The form in which animals store glucose, similar to amylopectin.

What is cellulose?

A tough polysaccharide in plant cell walls that we cannot digest.

What are lipids?

Hydrophobic molecules that include fats, phospholipids, and steroids.

What are triglycerides?

Fats made of glycerol and three fatty acids, good for energy storage.

What is a phospholipid?

A molecule with a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails that forms cell membranes.

What are steroids?

Lipids with a structure composed of four fused rings, such as cholesterol.

What functions do proteins serve?

Proteins are involved in structure, storage, transport, communication, movement, defense, and catalysis.

What are amino acids?

The building blocks of proteins, with 20 different types each having a unique R-group.

What is denaturation?

The process where a protein unfolds due to changes in its environment, resulting in loss of function.

What are nucleic acids and their functions?

Nucleic acids like DNA and RNA store and transmit genetic information.

What are the components of a nucleotide?

Each nucleotide has a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

What is the structure of DNA?

DNA is a double helix made of two strands of nucleotides twisted together.

What is gene expression?

The process where DNA is transcribed to RNA, and then RNA is translated into protein.

What are the building blocks of nucleic acids?

Nucleic acids are made of nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of a sugar (deoxyribose in DNA, ribose in RNA), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

What links amino acids together to form polypeptide chains?

Amino acids link together through peptide bonds to form polypeptide chains.

How does a protein's shape relate to its function?

A protein's shape determines its function, meaning that the structure directly influences how it operates in various biological processes.

What are the nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA?

Adenine (A) and guanine (G) are purines; cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U) are pyrimidines. DNA uses A, T, G, and C, while RNA uses A, U, G, and C.

What are the characteristics of phospholipids?

Phospholipids have a hydrophilic (water-loving) head and hydrophobic tails, and they form the lipid bilayer of cell membranes.

What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids?

Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds (straight chains, solid at room temperature), while unsaturated fatty acids have double bonds (kinks in the chain, liquid at room temperature).

What are polymers and examples of them?

Polymers are long chains of repeating units called monomers. Examples include carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids.