lecture 21 biochem

Epimers

Sugars that differ in configuration at only one specific carbon atom.

Enantiomers

Stereoisomers that are mirror images of each other.

Polysaccharides

Carbohydrate polymers made up of many monosaccharide units.

Disaccharides

Sugars formed from the combination of two monosaccharides through glycosidic bonds.

Glycosidic bond

Covalent bond that joins a carbohydrate (sugar) molecule to another group.

Cyclic forms of D-Glucose

The two forms (alpha and beta) of glucose formed through a reaction between the aldehyde and hydroxyl groups.

Pyranoses

Six-membered ring forms of sugars that result from the reaction of a hydroxyl group with a keto group.

Furanoses

Five-membered ring forms of sugars that result from the reaction of a hydroxyl group at C-5 with a keto group.

Haworth perspective formulas

A more accurate representation of cyclic sugar structures than Fischer projections.

O-glycosidic bond

A covalent bond joining two monosaccharides through their hydroxyl groups.

Reducing end

The end of a sugar chain where the free anomeric carbon is located.

Homopolysaccharides

Polysaccharides made up of only one type of monosaccharide.

Heteropolysaccharides

Polysaccharides made up of two or more different monosaccharides.

Glycoproteins

Proteins that have oligosaccharide chains covalently attached.

Glycosaminoglycans

Heteropolysaccharides in the extracellular matrix consisting of repeating disaccharide units.

Metabolism

The sum of all biochemical processes that occur within a living organism.

Catabolism

The metabolic process that breaks down molecules to release energy.

Anabolism

The metabolic process that builds up molecules, requiring energy.

ATP (Adenosine triphosphate)

The primary energy carrier in cells.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.

Glycolysis

The first step in glucose metabolism where glucose is broken down to pyruvate.

Krebs cycle

A series of reactions in the mitochondria that produce energy through the oxidation of acetate.

Electron transport chain

A series of protein complexes that transfer electrons and pump protons to generate ATP.

Thermodynamics

The branch of physics that deals with the relationships and conversions between heat and other forms of energy.