Molecules of life

Purpose: Identify the main groups of molecules in living things

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=YO244P1e9QM
Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are the
sugars, starches and fibers
found in fruits, grains,
vegetables and milk
products
Carbohydrates are the most
plentiful biological
molecules. Cells use some
carbohydrates as
structural materials; they
use others for fuel, or to
store or transport energy.
The three main types of
carbohydrates in living
systems are
monosaccharides,
oligosaccharides, and
polysaccharides.
 “Saccharide” is from sacchar, a
Carbohydrates Greek word that means sugar.

Monosaccharides (one sugar unit): are the

simplest type of carbohydrate. Common
monosaccharides have a backbone of five
or six carbon atoms, one carbonyl group,
and two or more hydroxyl groups.

Oligosaccharide is a short chain of

covalently bonded monosaccharides (oligo
means a few).

Polysaccharides are straight or branched

chains of many sugar monomers— often
hundreds or thousands of them.
 Now let's watch the following video:

https://www.wisc-online.com/learn/general-
education/anatomy-and-
physiology2/ap21316/biomolecules-the-
carbohydrates-video
 Lipids
Main types of
Lipids function as energy lipids:
fat.
reservoirs and as fatty acid.
waterproofing or lipid.
lubricating substances. phospholipid
Some are remodeled into .
steroid.
other compounds such as triglyceride.
vitamins. Lipids are the wax.
main structural
component of all cell
membranes.
 Lipids
1. Lipids are oily or greasy nonpolar
molecules, stored in the adipose tissue of
the body.
2. Lipids are a heterogeneous group of
compounds, mainly composed of
hydrocarbon chains.
3. Lipids are energy-rich organic molecules,
which provide energy for different life
processes.
4. Lipids are a class of compounds
characterized by their solubility in
nonpolar solvents and insolubility in water.
5. Lipids are significant in biological systems
as they form a mechanical barrier dividing
a cell from the external environment
known as the cell membrane.
 LIPIDS
Main biological functions

Energy function: 9.5 Kcal/ g

Not fast to metabolize

Reserve function: triglycerides

Structural function: phospholipids

Thermo-insulating function: brown fats

Hormonal function: sterols

Electroinsulating function: myelin

Protective function: cutin
Main types of lipids:

fat Lipid that consists of a

glycerol molecule with one,
two, or three fatty acid tails.

fatty acid Organic compound

that consists of a chain of
carbon atoms with an acidic
carboxyl group at one end.
Carbon chain of saturated
types has single bonds only;
that of unsaturated types has
one or more double bonds.
phospholipid A lipid with a
phosphate group in its
hydrophilic head, and two
nonpolar fatty acid tails;
main constituent of
eukaryotic cell membranes.
steroid Type of lipid with
four carbon rings and no
fatty acid tails.
triglyceride A fat with three
fatty acid tails.
wax Water-repellent mixture
of lipids with long fatty acid
tails bonded to long-chain
alcohols or carbon rings
 as summary...

Let's watch the following video: https://www.wisc-

online.com/learn/natural-science/life-
science/ap16116/biomolecules---the-lipids-video
Activity!!!
Proteins

You and all other

organisms depend on
working proteins:
enzymes that speed
metabolic processes,
receptors that receive
signals, hemoglobin
that carries oxygen in
your red blood cells,
and so on.
Proteins

Proteins are polymers

of amino acids. An
amino acid is a small
organic compound
with an amine group,
a carboxyl group (the
acid), and one or more
atoms called an “R
group.”
Enzymes
Enzymes help speed up
chemical reactions in living
organisms.
Enzymes are built of proteins
folded into complicated
shapes
The chemical reactions that
keep us alive – our
metabolism – rely on the work
that enzymes carry out.
Enzymes speed up (catalyze)
chemical reactions.
A substrate binds to the active site of an enzyme and is converted
into products. Once the products leave the active site, the enzyme
is ready to attach to a new substrate and repeat the process.
What is metabolism?
Metabolism
includes all
processes by which
cells acquire and
use energy as they
make and break the
bonds of organic
compounds.
By metabolic reactions
such as condensation,
enzymes build
polymers from
monomers of simple
sugars, fatty acids,
amino acids, and
nucleotides.

Reactions such as
hydrolysis release the
monomers by breaking
apart the polymers.
 as summary...

https://www.wisc-online.com/learn/natural-science/life-
science/ap13304/biomolecules---the-Proteins
The order of aminoacids in a protein secuence indicate the type of protein
The aminoacids chains twist and fold into coils, sheets and loops.
A protein’s shape rules its function.
The order of aminoacids in a protein secuence indicate the type of protein
The aminoacids chains twist and fold into coils, sheets and loops.
A protein’s shape rules its function.
Even worse…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?
It can change the And what happens if the shape of a
v=IdSqQQselg4&pp=ygUOUHJpb25zIGVuZ2xpc2g%3D
Yes!!! ….or…. Lost its function?
function, or…. protein changes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cubu-
k7kSvw
 So… I heard Teacher Juan, could
something about a you please make the mmm…ok..
quiz?
quiz!
QUIZ TIME!!
Nucleotides

Nucleotides are small

organic molecules that
function as energy
carriers, enzyme helpers,
chemical messengers,
and subunits of DNA and
RNA.
Each consists of a sugar
with a five-carbon ring,
bonded to a nitrogen-
containing base and one
or more phosphate
groups.
Nucleic Acids

Nucleic acids are

polymers, chains of
nucleotides in which the
sugar of one nucleotide is
joined to the phosphate
group of the next
Nucleic Acids
RNA, or ribonucleic acid, named after the
ribose sugar of its component nucleotides.
RNA consists of four kinds of nucleotide
monomers, one of which is ATP. RNA
molecules carry out protein synthesis.
Nucleic Acids
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid,
is a nucleic acid named after the
deoxyribose sugar of its
component nucleotides. A DNA
molecule consists of two chains
of nucleotides twisted into a
double helix. DNA contains all
of the information necessary to
build a new cell
Well… It happens through a
process where the genetic
Exactly!
information is translated
into proteins…

Ohhh!!!
HowThat
is theisgenetic
the famous
information
“Molecular
expressed
Biology Central
in the organism
Dogma”! ?
Molecular Biology Central Dogma