BIOMOLECULES

Cynthia J. Velasco
SHS Teacher
Biomolecules
• Molecules or organic compounds made by
living things
• Also called biochemicals
• Common characteristics:
▫ They are all carbon based, meaning they all
contain carbon.
▫ They are formed from just a few elements
which join together to form small molecules which
join together, or bond, to form large molecules.
▫ Each kind of organic molecule is built from a
single type of building block.
Biomolecules
CARBOHYDRAT LIPIDS
ES

PROTEINS NUCLEIC ACIDS

Biomolecules
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates
• The simplest biomolecules
• Also called saccharides (from
saccharum referring to sugar)
• Contain 3 elements:
▫ Carbon
▫ Hydrogen
▫ Oxygen
Carbohydrates
• Serve 2 main functions:
▫ Source of chemical energy
for cells in many living
things.
▫ Part of the structural
material of plants.
Carbohydrates
• Monosaccharide - simple/single sugar; C6H12O6 or
C6(H2O)6
▫ Ribose & Deoxyribose (components of RNA and DNA)
▫ Fructose (fruit/corn sugar; sweetest)
▫ Glucose (dextrose/blood sugar)
▫ Galactose (similar to glucose in composition but different
in structure)
• Disaccharide - double sugar; made of two
monosaccharides;
• Individual saccharides are connected via glycosidic
bonds. A water molecule is released when combined.
• Formula: C12H22O11
Carbohydrates
• Disaccharide types:
▫ Sucrose (table sugar); glucose + fructose
▫ Lactose (milk sugar); glucose + galactose
▫ Maltose (malt sugar); glucose + glucose
• Polysaccharide - multiple sugar; consist of thousands of
bonded monosaccharides; (C6H10O5)n where 40 ≤ n ≤3000
▫ Starch (storage form of glucose in plants); corn, wheat, rice,
and potato
▫ Glycogen (storage form of glucose in animals; stored in the
muscles and the liver)
▫ Amylopectin (storage form of glucose in plants)
▫ Cellulose (structural material in plants --- cell wall in wood,
wood fiber; cannot be digested by humans)
▫ Chitin (outer covering of crustaceans and insects)
Biomolecules
PROTEINS
Proteins
• From the Greek term proteios
meaning first.
• Proteins are composed of four
elements:
▫ carbon
▫ hydrogen
▫ oxygen
▫ nitrogen
• Proteins are made up of amino acids.
Proteins
• Keratin
• Fibroin / Silk protein
• Collagen
• Enzyme
• Myoglobin
• Hemoglobin
• Actin and Myosin
• Casein
• Insulin
• Antibodies
Proteins
The functions of protein depend on its
structure.
• Primary structure of protein - long chain of
amino acids arranged in a particular
sequence. They are non-functional proteins.
• Secondary structure of protein - The long
chain of protein is folded and arranged in a
helix shape, where the amino acids interact by
the formation of hydrogen bonds. This structure
is called the pleated sheet. Example: silk fibers.
• Tertiary structure of protein - Long
polypeptide chains become more stabilized by
folding and coiling, by the formation of ionic
or hydrophobic bonds or disulphide bridges,
these results in the tertiary structure of protein.
• Quaternary structure of protein - When a
protein is an assembly of more than one
polypeptide or subunits of its own, this is
said to be the quaternary structure of protein.
Example: Hemoglobin, insulin.
Biomolecules
LIPIDS
Lipids
• From the Greek word lipos which means “fat.”
• They are grouped together simply because of their
hydrophobic property (water-fearing).
• They are insoluble in water but soluble in
non-polar solvents such as ether, acetone, and
benzene.
• Contains
• carbon
• hydrogen
• oxygen (but have far less oxygen proportionally than
carbohydrates)
Lipids
• Fatty acids, building blocks of lipids, are long-
chain carboxylic acids that are insoluble in water.
• Fatty acids can be:
▫ Saturated fatty acids contain single bonds in its hydro-
carbon chain
▫ Unsaturated fatty acids contain double bonds.
Lipids
• Wax
• Phospholipid
• Steroid
▫ Cholesterol
• Triglyceride
▫ Fat
▫ Oil
Lipids
Functions of Lipids
• 1. Food material: Lipids provide food, highly rich in calorific
value. One-gram lipid produces 9.3 kilocalories of heat.
• 2. Food reserve: Lipids are insoluble in aqueous solutions and
hence can be stored readily in the body as a food reserve.
• 3. Structural component: Lipids are an important constituent
of the cell membrane.
• 4. Heat insulation: The fats are characterized for their high
insulating capacity. Great quantities of fat are deposited in the
subcutaneous layers in aquatic mammals such as whales and in
animals living in cold climate.
• 5. Fatty acid absorption: Phospholipids play an important
role in the absorption and transportation of fatty acids.
Biomolecules
NUCLEIC ACIDS
Nucleic Acids
• Are composed of nucleotides.
• Nucleic acids are also known as
polynucleotides.
• Nucleic acid was discovered by a Swiss physician
named Friedrich Miescher in 1868.
• Contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen, and phosphorus.
• Examples of nucleic acids are
• DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
• RNA (ribonucleic acid)
Nucleic Acids
• DNA
▫ Carries the genetic code of organisms.
▫ It is fondly termed as the blueprint of life.
▫ The DNA and the cell containing it determine the
kind of protein that will be synthesized.
• RNA
▫ Carries the information from the DNA to the
cellular factories for the synthesis of proteins.
Nucleic Acids
• The nitrogenous bases of DNA and RNA
are:
▫ DNA’s: Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine
(C), and Thymine (T)
▫ RNA’s: Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine
(C), and Uracil (U)
• DNA has a different sugar group than
RNA.
▫ DNA has deoxyribose
▫ RNA has ribose
Nucleic Acids
Thank you!