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Lecture 3 Structure and Function of Biological Molecules

The document discusses the four main macromolecules (biological polymers) that make up living things: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. It explains that these macromolecules are made through polymerization reactions between smaller monomers, and outlines some of the key monomers, polymers, and functions of each macromolecule class. Specifically, it covers monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides, fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids, amino acids, and levels of protein structure.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
215 views

Lecture 3 Structure and Function of Biological Molecules

The document discusses the four main macromolecules (biological polymers) that make up living things: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. It explains that these macromolecules are made through polymerization reactions between smaller monomers, and outlines some of the key monomers, polymers, and functions of each macromolecule class. Specifically, it covers monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides, fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids, amino acids, and levels of protein structure.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE MOLECULES OF LIFE

The Structure and Function of


Biological Macromolecules
Biochemistry: The Chemistry of Life
• Inorganic Compounds
• lack Carbon; small molecules
• ex. water, salts many acids and bases

• Organic Compounds
• contain Carbon
• large molecules, covalently bonded
• Ex. carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic
acids
All life is Carbon based
• Why is carbon so special?
• 4 valence electrons
• makes strong covalent bonds
• able to bond with many other elements
• can make very large molecules
Elements that builds up life
• 98% of your body weight is made up from 6 elements
• Carbon
• Hydrogen
• Nitrogen
• Oxygen
• Phosphorus
• Sulfur
Macromolecules

monomer

monomer

monomer
The FOUR Classes of Large Biomolecules
• All living things are made up of four classes of large
biological molecules:
• Carbohydrates
• Lipids
• Protein
• Nucleic Acids

• Macromolecules are large molecules composed of


thousands of covalently bonded atoms

• Molecular structure and function are inseparable

6
Macromolecules are polymers, built from monomers

• A polymer is a long molecule consisting of many


similar building blocks
• These small building-block molecules are called
monomers
• Three of the four classes of life’s organic molecules are
polymers
• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Nucleic acids

7
The synthesis and breakdown of polymers
Synthesis of Biological Macromolecules

• A dehydration reaction
occurs when two monomers
bond together through the
loss of a water molecule
• Polymers are disassembled to
monomers by hydrolysis, a
reaction that is essentially the
reverse of the dehydration
reaction

8
Dehydration Synthesis

9
Hydrolysis

10
Carbohydrates Serve as Fuel
CARBOHYDRATES
& Building Material

• Carbohydrates include sugars and the polymers of sugars


• The simplest carbohydrates are monosaccharides, or
single sugars
• Carbohydrate macromolecules are polysaccharides,
polymers composed of many sugar building blocks
Sugars: Monosaccharides
• Monosaccharides have molecular
formulas that are usually multiples of
CH2O

• Monosaccharides are classified by


– The location of the carbonyl group
– The number of carbons in the
carbon skeleton
MONOSACCHARIDES
MONOSACCHARIDES

• Glucose
• also known as “dextrose”
• major source of energy in most
living things
• blood sugar
• Molecular formula : C6H12O6
MONOSACCHARIDES

• Fructose
• also known as “fruit sugar”
• sweetest of all the sugars
• cannot be used for energy
• molecular formula : C6H12O6
• Galactose
• found in dairy products
• molecular formula : C6H12O6
Sugars: Disaccharides
DISACCHARIDES
• A disaccharide is formed when a dehydration reaction
joins two monosaccharides

• This covalent bond is called a glycosidic linkage


Synthesizing Maltose & Sucrose
Sugars: Disaccharides
DISACCHARIDES
• Sucrose
• Glucose + Fructose
• also known as “table sugar”
• Sweetest Disaccharide
• Maltose
• Glucose + Glucose
• also known as “malt sugar”
• found in plants – barley,
grain, beer
Sugars: Disaccharides
DISACCHARIDES
• Lactose
• Glucose + Galactose
• also known as “milk sugar”
• used by mammals to supply
energy to their young
Polysaccharides
POLYSACCHARIDES
• Polysaccharides, many simple sugars joined together.
• Two major functional
• Storage polysaccharides
• Structural polysaccharides
• The structure and function of a polysaccharide are
determined by its sugar monomers and the positions
of glycosidic linkages
POLYSACCHARIDES
STORAGE POLYSACCHARIDES

• Glycogen is a storage
polysaccharide in animals
• Humans and other
vertebrates store glycogen
mainly in liver and muscle
cells
Types of Polysaccharides: Storage
STORAGE POLYSACCHARIDES

• Starch, a storage
polysaccharide of plants,
consists entirely of glucose
monomers
• Plants store surplus starch as
granules within chloroplasts
and other plastids
Types of Polysaccharides: Structural
STRUCTURAL POLYSACCHARIDES

• The polysaccharide cellulose is a


major component of the tough
wall of plant cells
• Like starch, cellulose is a polymer
of glucose, but the glycosidic
linkages differ
• The difference is based on two
ring forms for glucose: alpha ()
and beta ()
Cellulose: A termite’s best friend!

25
Polysaccharide
STRUCTURAL
Random Acts of BiologyPOLYSACCHARIDES

• Cellulose in human food passes through the digestive tract as


insoluble fiber
• Some microbes use enzymes to digest cellulose
• Many herbivores, from cows to termites, have symbiotic
relationships with these microbes
• Chitin, another structural polysaccharide, is found in the
exoskeleton of arthropods
• Chitin also provides structural support for the cell walls of
many fungi
Who knew?
COMMON COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES
LIPIDS

• contain C, H, O (sometimes P)
• All lipids are hydrophobic
• Functions:
• store energy
• insulation / regulate heat
• make cell membranes
Fats: Start with a Simple Little
Glycerol Molecule LIPIDS

• 4 Types of Lipids
• Triglycerides
• Phospholipids
• Steroids
• Waxes
Most Lipids are made of Fatty Acids
• Monomer-like part of Lipids
• Made of a “head” and “tail”
• Tail – long chain of C bonded H (hydrocarbon chain)
• Head – COOH (carboxyl group) at one end
TRIGLYCERIDES (FATS AND OIL)
• Most common type of lipid
• In butter, lard, margarines, and oils
• Energy storage and protection / insulation
• Made up of 1 glycerol and 3 fatty acids
Dehydration Reaction THREE!!!
• The joining of the C of
the fatty acid to the O
of the hydroxyl group
of the glycerol is called
an ester linkage
• In a fat, three fatty
acids are joined to
glycerol by an ester
linkage, creating a
triacylglycerol, or
triglyceride
Saturated or Unsaturated?
Fatty Acids can either be Saturated and Unsaturated

• Fats made from saturated fatty


acids are called saturated fats,
and are solid at room
temperature
• Saturated fatty acids have the
maximum number of hydrogen
atoms possible and no double
bonds
Saturated or Unsaturated?
Fatty Acids can either be Saturated and Unsaturated
• Fats made from unsaturated fatty
acids are called unsaturated fats or
oils, and are liquid at room
temperature
• Plant fats and fish fats are usually
unsaturated
• Unsaturated fatty acids have one
or more double bonds
Saturated or Unsaturated?
Fatty Acids can either be Saturated and Unsaturated
Saturated or Unsaturated?

• A diet rich in saturated fats may


contribute to cardiovascular
disease through plaque deposits

• Hydrogenation is the process of


converting unsaturated fats to
saturated fats by adding hydrogen
What’s a Trans fat?
• Hydrogenating vegetable oils also creates
unsaturated fats with trans double bonds
• These trans fats may contribute more than
saturated fats to cardiovascular disease
Phospholipids
PHOSPHOLIPIDS
• When phospholipids are added to water, they self-assemble into a
bilayer, with the hydrophobic tails pointing toward the interior
• The structure of phospholipids results in a bilayer arrangement found
in cell membranes
• Phospholipids are the major component of all cell membranes
Fats: Major function is storage!

• The major function of fats is


energy storage
• Humans and other mammals
store their fat in adipose cells
• Adipose tissue also cushions
vital organs and insulates the
body
Steroids STEROIDS
• These are lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton
consisting of four fused rings
Steroids CHOLESTEROL
• Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all
the cells in your body. Your body needs some cholesterol to
make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you
digest foods.
Steroids WAX
• Any of a class of pliable substances of animal, plant, mineral,
or synthetic origin that differ from fats in being less greasy,
harder, and more brittle
PROTEINS

• Contains C, H, O, N, S
• most abundant macromolecule
• Each has a unique structure and
function
• Examples: enzymes, antibodies,
skin, hair, muscle, ligaments,
hormones, feathers, blood cloths
PROTEIN STRUCTURE

• Amino Acids
• Protein monomer
• 20 different kind of amino acid
• Polypeptide
• Protein polymer
• Proteins
• Many polypeptides bind
together
AMINO ACID STRUCTURE
AMINO ACID STRUCTURE
20 AMINO ACIDS
ESSENTIAL AND NON-ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS
PROTEIN FUNCTION

• Structure • Storage
• collagen, elastin, keratin • ovalbumin, casein
• Transport • Hormones
• hemoglobin • Insulin, glucagon
• Motion • Enzymes
• actin, myosin • lactase, lipase, amylase
• Defense • Buffers
• antibodies • maintains pH
LEVELS OF PROTEIN STRUCTURE
• Proteins is two or more polypeptides folded and coiled
together in a specific 3D shape
• The structure (shape) of a protein determines its job and
whether or not it cannot do it
• Proteins can be denatured by pH, temperature, heavy
metals
DENATURATION

• Unraveling of a protein structure so it no longer functions


– shape change affects active site
NUCLEIC ACID
• Contains C, H, N, O, P
• Functions to store & transmit
genetic information
• Determine specific protein
synthesis
• DNA & RNA Polymers
NUCLEOTIDE
• monomer of nucleic acids
PRIMARY STRUCTURE OF A DNA STRAND
PRIMARY STRUCTURE OF A DNA STRAND
COMPARISON OF DNA & RNA

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