Divine Claire F.

Lorido
BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES Special Science Teacher I
JRLMHS- SHS
BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES
8
 BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES
• Large molecules
• Necessary for life
• Four major classes --
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins,
& nucleic acids
• Organic (contain carbon) as
well as H, O, N, and other
minor elements.
UNLOCKING UNKNOWN TERMS
• Monomer
- single subunits, or building blocks of biological
molecules

• Polymer
- monomers combine with each other using covalent
bonds to form larger molecules
WHAT DO HUMANS GET
FROM FOOD?
CARBOHYDRATES

• Organic compounds made up of C, H,

and O.
• General formula of CnH2nOn.
• Hydrogen and oxygen atoms ratio is 2:1.
CARBOHYDRATES
It can be classified into three main categories,
according to increasing complexity:
• monosaccharides
• disaccharides
• polysaccharides
MONOSACCHARIDES
• major cellular nutrient
• incorporated into more
complex carbohydrates
• may have three to seven
carbons
MONOSACCHARIDES
• GLUCOSE
• 6C sugar (“cell fuel”)
• product of photosynthesis
and the substrate for
respiration that provides
energy for cellular activities
MONOSACCHARIDES
• FRUCTOSE
• 6C sugar (“fruit sugar”)
• found in many plants and is
often bonded to glucose
MONOSACCHARIDES
• GALACTOSE
• 6C sugar
• found in dairy products, and
some fruits.
DISACCHARIDES
• energy source
• sweetener and
dietary component Lactose
• forms when a
glycosidic linkage
forms between two
monosaccharides
DISACCHARIDES
• MALTOSE
• glucose + glucose
• malt sugar/ beer sugar
• found in sprouting grains,
malt-based energy drinks, or
beer
DISACCHARIDES
• SUCROSE
• glucose + fructose

• table sugar
• found in processed from
sugar cane, sweet fruits,
and storage roots like
carrots
DISACCHARIDES
• LACTOSE
• glucose + galactose
• Milk sugar
• source of energy for
infants, mammals
 POLYSACCHARIDES
• storage material for important monosaccharides
• structural material for the cell or the entire organism
•forms when hundreds to thousands of monosaccharides are
joined by glycosidic linkages
• storage polysaccharide (large molecules retained in the
cell and are insoluble in water, helical structure)
• structural polysaccharide (strands associate to form a
sheet-like structure)
STORAGE POLYSACCHARIDES
• STARCH
•amylose is unbranched starch,
helical structure
• amylopectin is branched
• present in plant parts like
potato tubers, corn, and rice and
serve as major sources of
energy.
STORAGE POLYSACCHARIDES
• GLYCOGEN
• found in animals and fungi
• found in liver cells and
muscle cells
STRUCTURAL POLYSACCHARIDES
• CELLULOSE
• tough sheet-like structures that
make up plant and algal cell walls
• processed to form paper and
paper-based product
• aids in regular bowel movement
STRUCTURAL POLYSACCHARIDES
• CHITIN
• used for structural support in
the wall of fungi and in
external skeletons of
arthropods
STRUCTURAL POLYSACCHARIDES
• PEPTIDOGLYCAN
•used for structural support in
bacterial cell walls
LIPIDS
• Diverse structures but are all non-polar and mix
poorly, if at all, with water.
• Function for energy storage, cushioning of vital
organs and for insulation.
• Present plasma membrane structure, serve as
precursors for important reproductive hormones.
FATS
• triacylglycerols/ triglycerides
•energy storage
• cushioning of vital organs
(adipose tissue)
• insulation
• formed from dehydration
reactions
SATURATED FATTY ACIDS
• bad fats
• no double bonds, linear
• solid at room temperature
• animal products such as butter
and lard
UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS
• good fats
• at least one double bond, bent
• liquid at room temperature
• plant and fish oils
TRANS FAT
• produced artificially
• behave like saturated fats
• more dangerous than
saturated FA
PHOSPHOLIPIDS
• major component of cell membrane
• phosphate group is hydrophilic and
is called the ‘head’ of the molecule
• fatty acids are hydrophobic
WAXES
• long fatty acid chains bonded
to long-chain alcohols.
• covers the feathers of some
aquatic birds and the leaf
surfaces of some plants.
 STEROIDS & STEROLS
• Regulate fluidity of cell
membranes
• base of sex hormones
(estradiol and progesterone)
• found in cell membranes
regulates the rigidity of the
cell membrane
 NUCLEIC ACIDS

• most important macromolecules

for the continuity of life.
• carry the genetic blueprint of
a cell
• carry instructions for the
functioning of the cell.
DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID
• Repository of gene information
• Double-helix structure
• Sugar and phosphate lie on the
outside of the helix, forming the
backbone of the DNA.
BASE PAIRING
 RIBONUCLEIC ACID

• transcripts and regulators of

expressed genetic information
• single stranded made of
ribonucleotides that are linked
by phosphodiester bonds
BASE PAIRING
 PROTEINS
• one of the most abundant
organic molecules in living systems
• most diverse
• structural, regulatory, contractile,
or protective transport, storage,
or membranes;
 ENZYMES
• produced by living cells, are
catalysts in biochemical
reactions
• may help in breakdown,
rearrangement, or synthesis
reactions.
 HORMONES
• chemical-signaling
molecules, usually small
proteins or steroids,
secreted by endocrine
• act to control or
regulate specific
physiological processes
 AMINO ACIDS
• monomers that make up
proteins.
• consists of a central
carbon atom, bonded to an
amino group, a carboxyl
group, and to a hydrogen
atom.