Download Macromolecules: The Building Blocks of Life

Macromolecules: The 4
Building Blocks of Life
A . What are macromolecules?
1 : Macromolecules are in living cells and are
made up of smaller molecules.
a. small units know as
monomers
bond together to form polymers.
b. There are four types:
Lipid, proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids
B. The Carbon…the little
element that could
1 . Carbon:
is the element that
allows all these different possibilities. It
can form up to four bonds, allowing it
to form chains , branches, and rings.
Nature of carbon atoms explained using an Animation Tutorvista.com
2. Carbohydrates:
Store energy
and building materials
a. monosaccharides: single, simple
sugars.
Ex. glucose and fructose
b . disaccharides: double, two sugars
c. . polysaccharides:
made of many
monosaccharides.
Ex.1 . Glycogen:
made of glucose
stored in animals.
Ex 2.
Starch:
made of glucose
monomers, it is stored in plants
Glucose-glucose-glucose-glucose = starch
= polysaccharide
Sugars
d. Other polysaccharides…
1. cellulose:
found in plant
cell walls, provides structural support
(think wood)
2. Chitin:
found in exoskeleton of
crabs, provides structural support
Polysacchrides
provide structural
support.
Chitin in arthropods
Cellulose in plants
C. Lipids: hydro (water)-phobic (scared
of) …don’t mix with water
1.
includes oils, fats, and waxes
2.
Used for storage of energy
cell membranes
3.
Fats are composed of a
acids
and a part of all
glycerol and
three fatty
a.saturated fats: no double bonds,
maximum number of hydrogen atoms
example: butter, lard, and other solid
fats
b. unsaturated fats: one or more
double bonds

example : olive oil, canola oil, other liquid
oils
Which one
causes heart
disease?
Stearic acid
(a) Saturated fat and fatty acid
Oleic acid
double bond
(b) Unsaturated fat and fatty acid
D. Proteins: needed for growth,
repair, and to make enzymes.
a. Wide range of functions
1. control speed of reaction
2. regulated processes
3. build bone and muscle
4. fight disease.
b. Proteins are a polymer known as a
polypeptide chain made up amino acid
monomers.
1. There are
20 types of amino
acids.
aa
aa
aa
aa
aa
Polypeptide or
protein
amino acid basics
Biomolecules - The Proteins - Learning Activity - Flash Player Installation
c. Enzymes are proteins that act as
catalyst to speed up chemical reactions.
a. they are not changed in the reaction
b. they are affected or “ denatured
“ by
extreme changes in temperature or ph
level.
c. Denaturing caused proteins to lose their
original shape and function.
d. Proteins go through 4 levels of organization,
the shape is part of its function .
d. Review of Protein Structure
+H
3N
Amino end
Amino acid
subunits
helix
E. Nucleic Acids
1.Function is to store and transmit
genetic information
2.two types: DNA, and RNA
3. DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid
a.
double helix, two strands (think twisted
ladder)
b.
made of monomers called nucleotide
bases
c.
Nucleotide bases are made of a 5carbon sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogen
base.
d.
Bases are Adenine, Guanine,
Cytosine , and Thymine
e. Contains deoxyribose sugar
4. RNA : ribonucleic acid
a.
generally single stranded
b. bases include Adenine,
Guanine, Cytosine, and Uracil
c.
three types, mRNA, rRNA, and
tRNA
Preview of DNA and RNA
DNA
1
Synthesis of
mRNA in the nucleus
NUCLEUS
Movement of
mRNA into cytoplasm
via nuclear pore
Figure 5.25
CYTOPLASM
mRNA
2
3
mRNA
Ribosome
Synthesis
of protein
Polypeptide
Amino
acids