CHE F421

Biochemical Engineering
Mohit Garg
Department of Chemical Engineering
BITS Pilani B.I.T.S-Pilani, Pilani Campus
Pilani Campus
Contact: mohit.garg@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in
Carbohydrates: Mono- and Polysaccharides
●
Carbohydrates play key roles as structural and storage compounds in cells.
●
They also appear to play critical roles in modulating some aspects of chemical signaling in animals
and plants.
●
Carbohydrates are represented by the general formula (CH2O)n , where n ≥ 3, and are synthesized
through photosynthesis.

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Carbohydrates: Mono- and Polysaccharides

Monosaccharides are the smallest carbohydrates and contain three to nine carbon atoms.

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Carbohydrates: Mono- and Polysaccharides
Disaccharides are formed by the condensation of two monosaccharides.

For example, maltose is formed by the condensation of two glucose molecules via a-1,4 glycosidic linkage.

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Carbohydrates: Mono- and Polysaccharides
●
Polysaccharides are formed by the condensation of more than two monosaccharides by glycosidic bonds.
●
The polysaccharide processing industry makes extensive use of enzymatic processing and biochemical
engineering.

Amylose

Amylopectin

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Lipids, Fats, and Steroids
●
Lipids are hydrophobic biological compounds that are insoluble in water, but soluble in nonpolar solvents
such as benzene, chloroform, and ether.
●
Fats are lipids that can serve as biological fuel-storage molecules.
●
The major component in most lipids is fatty acids, which are made of a straight chain of hydrocarbon
(hydrophobic) groups, with a carboxyl group (hydrophilic) at the end.
●
Fats are esters of fatty acids with glycerol. The formation of a fat molecule can be represented by the
following reaction:

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Lipids, Fats, and Steroids
Steroids can also be classified
as lipids. A well-known steroid,
cholesterol, is present in
membranes of animal
tissues.

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

• Nucleic Acids are the polymers of Nucleotides.

• There are two types of Nucleic Acids: DNA and RNA.
DNA= deoxyribose nucleic acid
RNA= ribonucleic acid
• DNA encodes hereditary information.
• DNA also encodes information for maintenance of cell
functions.
• RNA is an intermediate used to synthesise proteins.

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

Composed of monomers - nucleotides

nucleotide
*Ribose in RNA
Deoxyribose in DNA
•Ribose + Nitrogen base = Nucleoside

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

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The bases

The most common organic bases are

Adenine (A)

Thymine (T)

Cytosine (C)

Guanine (G)
Nucleotides

The deoxyribose, the phosphate and one of the bases

Combine to form a nucleotide

PO4
adenine

deoxyribose
Joined nucleotides

PO4

A molecule of DNA is
PO4 formed by millions of
nucleotides joined
together in a long
PO4
chain

PO4

sugar-phosphate + bases
backbone
In fact, the DNA usually consists of a double
strand of nucleotides

The sugar-phosphate chains are on the outside

and the strands are held together by chemical
bonds between the bases
2-stranded DNA
PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4 PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4
Bonding 1

The bases always pair up in the same way

Adenine forms a bond with Thymine

Adenine Thymine

and Cytosine bonds with Guanine

Cytosine Guanine
Bonding 2

PO4
PO4
adenine thymine

PO4
PO4
cytosine guanine

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4
Pairing up
PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4 PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4
The paired strands are coiled into a spiral called

A DOUBLE HELIX
THE DOUBLE HELIX

bases

sugar-phosphate
chain
Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

• The phosphate and deoxyribose units are on the outer surface, but the bases
point toward the chain center.
• The planes of the bases in the chain are perpendicular to the helix axis.
• The diameter of the helix is 2 nm.
• The helical structure repeats after ten residues on each chain, at an interval of
3.4 nm.
• The two chains are held together by hydrogen bonding between pairs of bases.
(A-T: two H bonds, G-C: three H bonds).
• This feature is essential to the genetic role of DNA.

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

DNA Replication
• DNA in the chromosomes replicates itself every cell division
• Maintains correct genetic information
• Two strands of DNA unwind
• Each strand acts like a template
• New bases pair with their complementary base
• Two double helixes form that are copies of original DNA

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

Roles of RNA Species

• Messenger, m-RNA: Synthesized on the chromosome
and carries genetic information for protein synthesis.
• Transfer, t-RNA: Carries specific amino acid from
cytoplasm to the site of protein synthesis on ribosomes.
• Ribosomal, r-RNA: Part of machinery of protein
synthesis, constituets about 65% of total ribosomes.

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

RNA Structure
• Most RNA molecules have secondary structure, consisting of
stem & loop domains.
• Double helical stem domains arise from base pairing between
complementary stretches of bases within the same strand.
• Loop domains occur due to lack of complementarity or the
presence of modified bases prevents base pairing.

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Nucleic Acids, RNA, & DNA

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Thank You

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