BIOMOLECUL

ES
FOURTH QUARTER MODULE 2
BIOMOLECULES

• They are substances are part of the chemical composition of

all living organisms.
• These substances are also required for their growth,
maintenance and even for survival in extreme environment
conditions.
BIOMOLECULES
• The main/major classes of biomolecules are carbohydrates,
proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.
• These are macromolecules - large molecules composed of
thousands of covalently connected atoms.
• There are six (6) most common elements that can be found in
biomolecules. These are Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen,
Oxygen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur. They are commonly
known as CHNOPS or CHNONSP elements.
BIOMOLECULES
MACROMOLECULES ELEMENTS PRESENT

Carbohydrates carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

Protein carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and

sulfur

Lipids carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus,

sulfur (can also contain N sometimes)

Nucleic Acid carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus,

nitrogen and sulfur
CARBOHYDRATES
• They are molecules which are
comprised of the elements carbon
(C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O).
• Carbohydrate is a group of organic
compounds occurring in living
tissues and foods in the form of
starch, cellulose, and sugars.
• They are the major source of
energy in the body.
CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates can range in size from very

small to very large. Like all the other
biomolecules, carbohydrates are often built
into long chains by stringing together
smaller units.
The general term for a single unit is a
monomer. The term for a long string of
monomers is a polymer.
CARBOHYDRATES

• In layman’s terms, we acknowledge carbohydrates as sugars

or substances that taste sweet. Each unit structure of
carbohydrates are called saccharides (Greek: sakcharon =
sugar). Depending on the number of sugar units,
carbohydrates can be as monosaccharides (1 sugar unit),
disaccharides (2 sugar units), oligosaccharides (2-10 sugar
units) and or polysaccharides (more than 10 sugar units).
CARBOHYDRATES
CARBOHYDRATES
CARBOHYDRATES

• Carbohydrates have several functions in cells. They are an

excellent source of energy for the many different activities
going on in our cells.
• Other types of sugar polymers make up the stored forms of
energy known as starch and glycogen. Starch is found in plant
products such as potatoes, and glycogen is found in animals.
CARBOHYDRATES

• Some carbohydrates may have a structural function. For example,

the material that makes plants stand tall and gives wood its tough
properties, is cellulose. Being of great economic importance,
cellulose is processed to produce papers and fibers, and is
chemically modified to yield substances used in the manufacture of
items such as plastics, photographic films, and rayon. Other
cellulose derivatives are used as adhesives, explosives, thickening
agents for foods, and in moisture-proof coatings.
PROTEINS

• Proteins are comprised of the elements carbon, nitrogen, oxygen,

hydrogen and sometimes sulfur.
• Proteins are polymers of amino acids, arranged in the form of
chain called polypeptide.
• Proteins are found in all living cells.
• They are the second most common molecules found in the human
body (after water) and make up about 10% to 20% of the mass of a
cell.
PROTEINS

• Of the 20 amino acids found in human protein, only 11 can be

synthesized by the body and 9 have to be supplied by the foods we
eat. These 9 amino acids are also called essential amino acids. Adults
only need to obtain eight of them: valine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine,
methionine, phenylalanine, threonine and tryptophan. The ninth
amino acid - histidine - is only essential for infants.
• Your body doesn’t store amino acids, so it needs a regular daily
supply of these essential building blocks.
PROTEINS

• Nonessential is a slightly misleading label because these amino acids

actually fill essential roles, but since they’re synthesized by your
body, they’re not an essential part of your diet. Of the 11
nonessential amino acids, eight are called conditional amino acids.
When you’re sick or under significant stress, your body may not be
able to produce enough of these amino acids to meet your needs. The
list of conditional amino acids includes arginine, glutamine, tyrosine,
cysteine, glycine, proline, serine, and ornithine. The remaining three
-alanine, asparagine, and aspartate - are nonessential.
PROTEINS

• Proteins help form many of the structural features of the body

including hair, nails and muscles. Myosin is the protein that allows
movement by contraction of muscles.
• Proteins are also present as a major component of cell membranes.
Being part of cell membranes, proteins act as carriers or channels,
facilitating the movement of ions and molecules in and out of the
cells. Ions like sodium, potassium and chloride, molecules like
glucose are maintained at proper concentration for cells to function
normally.
PROTEINS

• Proteins also acts as catalyst. A large group of proteins, known

as enzymes, enable the cells to carry out chemical reactions
fast. For the organism to maintain growth and survival, the food
being consumed must be converted to energy at an appreciable
rate.
LIPIDS

• Lipids are composed primarily of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,

phosphorus and sulfur (lipids also contain nitrogen in some
cases).
• The term lipid refers to a wide variety of biomolecules including
fatty acids, triglycerides, steroids, oils and waxes.
• They are hydrophobic. These are insoluble in water.
LIPIDS

• The most abundant of the lipids are the fats and oils, also called
triglycerides.
• Fats are solids at room temperature and contain saturated fatty
acids. Examples of these are lard and butter which are animal
fats.
• Oils are liquids at room temperature and contain unsaturated
fatty acids. Most oils, such as vegetable oil, corn oil, and olive
oil are produced by plants.
LIPIDS

• Fats are a good source of stored energy; however, an excess

quantity of fats is not good for the heart because they clog the
arteries.
• Vitamins A, D, E, and K cannot function without adequate
daily fat intake since they are fat soluble vitamins.
• Oils and waxes are used to form protective layers on our skin,
preventing infection.
LIPIDS

• Steroids are another class of lipids. The most important steroid is

cholesterol. Cholesterol plays an important role in eukaryotes and
especially abundant in cell membranes of animal cells. Steroid
hormones are important regulators of cell activity. Included in
these steroid hormones are cortisol, estrogen and testosterone.
• Cholesterol is an essential lipid for humans, excessive levels of
cholesterol in the blood can lead to deposits in the arteries of the
heart. These arterial deposits are a leading cause of heart disease.
NUCLEIC ACIDS

• Nucleic Acids are comprised of elements carbon, hydrogen,

oxygen, phosphorus and nitrogen.
• They are the main information-carrying molecules of the cell,
and, by directing the process of protein synthesis, they
determine the inherited characteristics of every living thing.
• The two main classes of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).
NUCLEIC ACIDS

• DNA is the master blueprint for life and constitutes the genetic
material in all free-living organisms and most viruses. DNA
contains the information on what proteins will be created.
• RNA is the one responsible to create the proteins based on the
information given by the DNA. RNA is the genetic material of
certain viruses, but it is also found in all living cells.
NUCLEIC ACIDS
• Nucleic acids are polynucleotides—that is, long chainlike molecules
composed of a series of nearly identical building blocks called
nucleotides.
• Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogen-containing aromatic base attached to
a pentose (five-carbon) sugar, which is in turn attached to a phosphate
group.
• Each nucleic acid contains four of five possible nitrogen-containing
bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil
(U). A and G are categorized as purines, while C, T, and U are
collectively called pyrimidines.