BIO-103:

Biological Macromolecules

LECTURE: 06-07

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 Lecture Outline
• Introduction & basic terminologies
• Carbohydrate
• Protein
• Lipid
• Nucleic Acid

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Introduction/ at a glance
Living
Systems

Carbon Organic Inorganic And the

containing! compounds compounds rest!

Assembling into
Macromolecules
complex form

Carbohydrates

Lipids
Building Blocks of
living organism
Proteins

Nucleic Acids
 Terminologies/Definitions
• Macromolecule:
 Small molecules assemble in different orientation to
make large molecule or Macromolecules.
Example: Glucose molecules assemble to make
cellulose (a carbohydrate) .

glucose glucose glucose glucose

cellulose

glucose glucose glucose glucose

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 Terminologies/Definitions
• Monomers are small molecules or building blocks
which may be joined together in a repeating fashion to
form more complex molecules called polymers.
• A polymer may be a natural or synthetic
macromolecule comprised of repeating units of a
smaller molecule (monomers).

glucose glucose glucose glucose

cellulose
glucose
glucose glucose glucose glucose
Monomer
Polymer
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 Terminologies/Definitions

• Polymerization is the linking together of monomers to

form polymers.
• A condensation reaction occurs via the loss of a small
molecule, usually from two different substances,
resulting in the formation of a covalent bond.

Need the
Input of
energy

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 Terminologies/Definitions
• Hydrolysis, which is the reverse of condensation, breaks apart large organic
molecules into smaller ones.
• By breaking the bonds between monomers, Hydrolysis liberates the energy
that polymers contained during condensation; thus, some of the energy
required to polymerize is returned upon hydrolysis.

Liberation of
energy

Try to link up with the context of Metabolism that we’ve learned earlier…!!! 7
 Terminologies/Definitions
Carbohydrates
Glucose

Building Blocks/monomers
Macromolecules

Proteins
Amino acids

Lipids
Fatty acid and glycerol

Nucleic Acids
Phosphate group (p), Sugar,
Bases
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 CARBOHYDRATE
• Common symbol: (CH2O)n
• Most common is Glucose.
• In glucose, Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen
makes a molecule of glucose in 1:2:1 ratio.
• Chemical formula: C6H12O6. or (CH2O)6
• Structural materials, storing and transporting
energy
• Three types: monosaccharides,
oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides.
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 CARBOHYDRATE
• Two monosaccharide's will make disaccharide.

Examples:
Sucrose (glucose+fructose) (Table Sugar)
Lactose (glucose+galactose) (Milk Sugar)
Maltose (glucose+glucose) (Barley/germinating seeds)

• Polysaccharides: Long chains of monosaccharide units bound together

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 Starch and
Cellulose Chitin
Glycogen
• Starch is • Different • Partly
energy bond formed derived from
storage than starch non-sugars
molecule in • Structural (nitrogen)
plants component • Composes
• Glycogen is in plants exoskeletons
energy • Cannot be of insects
storage digested by
molecule in animals
animals.
• Starch and
glycogen can
be digested
by animals.
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 Functions of Carbohydrates
• Providing energy and regulation

• Sparing the use of proteins for energy

• Preventing ketosis and breakdown of fatty acids and

• Biological recognition processes

• Flavor and Sweeteners

• Dietary fiber, which is also a form of carbohydrate, is

essential for the elimination of waste materials and
toxins from the body
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 PROTEINS
• Most diverse in both structure and function
• Proteins are the polymers of amino acids
• Thousands of different kinds of proteins are
made from only twenty monomers, called
amino acids.

Monomer Polymer 14
 Amino Acids: Building Block of Proteins

• Contains an amine group (NH3) (basic/positive)

•A carboxyl group (COOH) (acidic/negative)
•One or more atoms called an “R group”
•All three groups are attached to the same carbon atom
Amino Acids: Building Block of Proteins
 Amino acids are divided into two groups-
Essential: must be supplied in the diet.
Non-essential: not supplied in the diet.
 Amino acids are bonded together by peptide bonds
to form protein.

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 Peptide Bonds
• The bond that forms between two amino acids is called a peptide bond.

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 Levels of protein structure

Primary structure: The linear arrangement of amino

acids in a protein
Secondary structure: Areas of folding or coiling
within a protein. e.g. α-helices and β-pleated sheets
Tertiary structure: Final three-dimensional structure
of a protein, which results from a large number of
non-covalent interactions between amino acids.
Quaternary structure: Non-covalent interactions
that bind multiple polypeptides into a single, larger
protein. e.g. Hemoglobin

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Levels of protein structure

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 Main functions of proteins
• Protein's main function is to build, maintain and repair all our body
tissues
• Protein can also be used as energy source by body

Biological functions of proteins

• Protein acts as storage material of food and energy.
• Many proteins are enzymes that catalyze biochemical reactions
• Proteins are molecular instrument through which genetic information is
expressed.
• They act as antibodies to prevent disease.
• The milk proteins help the growth of infant mammals.

For detail functions see the notes underneath…

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 Lipids
• Composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen

• Differ from carbohydrates: no specific ratio (C:H:O)

• Building blocks are fatty acids and glycerol.

• Energy storage molecules “stores the most energy” 2X of

Carbohydrates

• Structurally heterogeneous, Not soluble in water

• Are soluble in hydrophobic solvents.

• Examples: 1. Fats 2. Oils 3. Phospholipids

4. Waxes 5. Steroid hormones 6. Triglycerides 21

 Synthesis of triglycerides

Glycerol
Fatty acids
Can be saturated/unsaturated

Relate with the melting points and physical states……..

Higher the un-saturation-lower the melting point…….. 22
 Fats
Fats are solid at ordinary temperatures. Generally, fats are produced by
animals. In animals, fats are stored in adipose cells. Fats are also
important as cushions for body organs and as an insulating layer
beneath skin.

Oils
Oils are liquid at ordinary temperatures. Generally, oils are produced by
plants. Some common vegetable oils are peanut, soybean, and corn oil.

Waxes
Both plants and animals produce waxes. The waxy coating on some
plants leaves is an example of plant waxes. Beeswax is an example of a
wax produced by an animal.

Recall the saturated and unsaturated FA in this context….

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 Phospholipids
 Phospholipids are a variation on the triacylglycerol theme in which
– One fatty acid is replaced with a phosphate group, which in turn is
bound to additional functional groups.
 Structurally and functionally, the important thing about
phospholipids is that
– These molecules are simultaneously hydrophobic (at one end, the
fatty acid end) and hydrophilic
(at the other end, the phosphate end). Amphiphile

Recall the cell membrane in this context… 24

Here it goes…let’s think laterally..!

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 Steroids
• All steroids possess a common ring structure.
• These ring structures vary by attached functional groups.
• Cholesterol is example of a steroid; cholesterol is a
membrane component
• The common steroid structure is the
basis of sterol hormones including the
human sex hormones
(the estrogens and the
androgens, including
testosterone).

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 Nutrition and Health
• Most of the lipid found in food is in the form of
triacylglycerols, cholesterol and phospholipids

• A minimum amount of dietary fat is necessary to

facilitate absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D,
E and K) and carotenoids

• Essential Fatty Acids

• Trans Fat
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 The fat guidelines
• Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35% of your
total calories each day;
• Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7% of total
daily calories;
• Limit trans fat intake to less than 1% of total daily
calories;
• The remaining fat should come from sources of
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such
as nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils; and
• Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per
day, for most people
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 Nucleic Acids
• The chemical link between generations

• The source of genetic information in chromosomes

• Dictate amino-acid sequence in proteins

• Simple units called nucleotides, connected in long

chains

• Nucleic acids are composed of long chains of

nucleotides linked by dehydration synthesis

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 Nucleic Acids
Two types:
a. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA-double helix)
b. Ribonucleic acid (RNA-single strand)
Nucleotides have 3 parts:
1- phosphate group (P)
2- pentose sugar (5-carbon)
3- nitrogenous bases:
adenine (A)
thymine (T) DNA only
uracil (U) RNA only
cytosine (C)
guanine (G)
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 Nucleic Acids
• The secondary structure is similar to the proteins

• The concentration of adenine equals that of thymine

• The concentration of guanine equals that of cytosine

Why?

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Cells Genes

Chromosomes DNA

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 DNA RNA

Structural Name:
Deoxyribonucleic Acid Ribonucleic Acid

Function: Medium of long-term storage Transfer the genetic code

and transmission of genetic needed for the creation of
information proteins from the nucleus to
the ribosome. Without RNA,
proteins could never be made.
Structure: Typically a double- stranded A single-stranded molecule in
molecule with a long chain of most of its biological roles and
nucleotides. has a shorter chain of
nucleotides.
Bases/Sugars: Long polymer with a Shorter polymer with a ribose
deoxyribose and phosphate and phosphate backbone and
backbone and four different four different bases: adenine,
bases: adenine, guanine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil.
cytosine and thymine.
Base Pairing: A-T (Adenine-Thymine), G-C A-U (Adenine-Uracil), G-C
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(Guanine-Cytosine) (Guanine-Cytosine)
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