Lec 2

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University of Mosul

College of Medicine
Lecture: (2)
Subject/year: Medical Biology / 1st year
Lecturer: Inaam A. Abdulhameed
Department : Anatomy
Date:19/11/2023
The AIM of this lecture is

To understand the structure and the functions of molecular


components of living organisms.
 Intended learning outcomes:

By the end of this lecture the student will be able to:

1. Determine the functions of water in the body.

2. Summarize the structure of the pH scale and the importance


of buffers to biological systems.

3. Describe the four major types of biological molecules.

4. Understand the functions of the four major types of


molecules.
The Molecular Composition of Cells

Cells are composed of water, inorganic ions, and organic


molecules.
 Water is essential for life
 Water is the most abundant molecule in living Organisms.

 Functions of water in the body


 Water is the primary building block of cells.
 It regulates our internal body temperature
 The carbohydrates and proteins are metabolized and
transported by water in the bloodstream.
 It assists in flushing waste mainly through urination.

 Acts as a shock absorber for brain, spinal cord, and fetus.

 Forms saliva.

 Lubricates joints.
 Acids and Basses

 Acids are molecules that dissociate in water,


releasing hydrogen ions (H+).

 Bases are molecules that either take up


hydrogen ions (H+) or release hydroxide ions
(OH–).
 pH scale
The pH scale is used to indicate the
acidity and basicity of a solution.

 Buffers
A buffer is a substance that helps
to minimize the change in the pH
of a solution when acids or bases
are added.
 Organic Compounds:
Four major groups are found in all living things:
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
1-Carbohydrates
⦁ Almost all organisms use carbohydrates as sources of energy.
⦁ In addition, some carbohydrates serve as structural materials.

⦁ The basic building blocks of carbohydrate molecules are the


monosaccharides.

 monosaccharide : glucose ,fructose, and galactose.


 disaccharides : maltose, sucrose, and lactose.
 polysaccharides : starch and glysogen.
⦁ Starch serves as a storage form for carbohydrates in plants.

⦁ Glycogen is the form in which glucose is stored in the human


liver.
2-Lipids

 Lipids are large molecules that do not dissolve in


water.
 There are three major groups of lipids:
 Fats and Oils
 Phospholipids
 Steroids
 Fats and Oils

⦁ Fats and oils form when one glycerol molecule reacts


with three fatty acid molecules.

⦁ A fatty acid is a carbon–hydrogen chain that ends with the


acidic group —COOH.
⦁ Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the carbon
atoms. The chain is saturated with all the hydrogens it can hold ,
and they are solid at room temperature .

⦁ Unsaturated fatty acids have double bonds in the carbon chain


wherever the number of hydrogens is less than two per carbon ,
and they are liquid at room temperature.
• Saturated fats, in particular, contribute to the disease
atherosclerosis.

• Even more harmful than naturally occurring saturated fats are the
trans fats that are created artificially from vegetable oils. Trans
fats may be partially hydrogenated to make them semisolid.
Partial hydrogenation does not saturate all bonds. This
configuration makes these bonds difficult to break, allowing
these trans fats to accumulate in the circulatory system.
 Phospholipids
⦁ The phospholipid molecule is similar to a fat except that the
third fatty acid is replaced by a phosphate group.

⦁Phospholipids are a major component of the cell membranes.


 Steroids
• Steroids have a ring structure,
• they are grouped with lipid because they are also
hydrophobic.

• Examples of steroids: cholesterol, vitamin D , cortisone ,


estrogen.
⦁ The roles of lipids:

1. Provide an important form of energy storage.

2. Lipids are the major components of cell membrane .

3. Lipids play roles in cell signaling.


3-Proteins
⦁ Proteins, among the most complex of all organic compounds.
⦁ They are composed of amino acids.
 The roles of proteins include:

-Collagen and keratin are structural proteins.

-The proteins actin and myosin permit our muscles to contract.

-Enzymes are a special class of proteins that assist other chemicals to


react with each other.

-Many hormones that regulate body functions are proteins.

-Hemoglobin is a blood protein that transports oxygen and carbon


dioxide throughout the body.

-Antibodies are proteins in the blood and body fluids that help to
fight infections.
4- Nucleic acids
 They are composed of nucleotides.

 There are two kinds of nucleic acids:


1. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
2. RNA (ribonucleic acid).
⦁InDNA, the bases are adenine A, thymine T, guanine G and cytosine C.
The sugar is deoxyribose.

⦁In RNA the bases are the same except thymine is replaced by uracil. The
sugar in RNA is ribose.

⦁ In DNA, there are two chains of nucleotides. The chains are coiled into
a helix. Genes are segments of DNA.

⦁ RNA molecules are single- stranded. RNA functions in synthesis of


proteins.
To summarize:

- Water is the most abundant molecule in living organisms


.Water serves a number of essential functions in the body.

- The pH scale reflects whether a solution is acid or basic


(alkaline).
- Buffers help cells and organisms maintain a constant pH.

- Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids are organic


molecules with specific functions in cells
References and recommended further readings:
1. Madder, S., S., and Windelelspecht, M., Human biology, 15th
ed. Mc Graw – hill, USA, 2018.

2. Sylvia S. Madder, Biology, 6th ed. Mc Graw-Hill Education,


USA,1999.

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