BASIC BIOLOGY &
PHYSIOLOGY
BMV 703
Lecture-II: Biomacromolecules
Course Instructor: Jayanta Bhattacharyya
Elements
Overview: The Molecules of Life
Overview: The Molecules of Life
All living things are made up of four classes
of large biological molecules:
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and
nucleic acids
Macromolecules are large molecules
composed of thousands of covalently
connected atoms
Molecular structure and function are
inseparable
Macromolecules are polymers,
built from monomers
A polymer is a long molecule consisting of
many similar building blocks
These small building-block molecules are
called monomers
Three of the four classes of life’s organic
molecules are polymers
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Nucleic acids
Polymers
Many biological molecules formed by
linking a chain of monomers
Examples of Biomacromolecules
Carbohydrates – sugars, polymers of
sugars
Lipids – triglycerides (fats and oils),
phospholipids, steroids, waxes
Proteins – enzymes, keratin, actin
Nucleic Acids – DNA & RNA
Examples of Biomacromolecules
Carbohydrates – sugars, polymers of
sugars
Lipids – triglycerides (fats and oils),
phospholipids, steroids, waxes
Proteins – enzymes, keratin, actin
Nucleic Acids – DNA & RNA
Simple Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates serve as fuel and
building material
Carbohydrates include sugars and the
polymers of sugars
The simplest carbohydrates are
monosaccharides, or single sugars
Carbohydrate macromolecules are
polysaccharides, polymers composed of
many sugar building blocks
Functions of Carbohydrates
Rapidly Mobilized Source of Energy
Monosaccharides and disaccharides
Energy storage
Glycogen in animals
Starch in plants
Structural
In cell walls bacteria and plants (Cellulose).
In exoskeletons (Chitin).
Coupled with protein to form glycoproteins
Important in cell membranes
Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates -
Polysaccharide
Polysaccharides, the polymers of sugars, have
storage and structural roles
The structure and function of a polysaccharide are
determined by its sugar monomers and the positions
of glycosidic linkages
Types
1. Starch
2. Glycogen
3. Cellulose
4. Chitin
Examples of Biomacromolecules
Carbohydrates – sugars, polymers of
sugars
Lipids – triglycerides (fats and oils),
phospholipids, steroids, waxes
Proteins – enzymes, keratin, actin
Nucleic Acids – DNA & RNA
Lipids
Like carbohydrates, lipids are mainly made
of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
They are not soluble in water, they are
soluble in nonpolar solvents
Types:
1. Triglycerides (Fats)
2. Phospholipids
3. Carotenoids
4. Steroids
5. Waxes
Lipids are a diverse group of
hydrophobic molecules
Lipids are the one class of large biological
molecules that do not form polymers
The unifying feature of lipids is having little or no
affinity for water
Lipids are hydrophobic because they consist mostly
of hydrocarbons, which form nonpolar covalent
bonds
The most biologically important lipids are fats,
phospholipids, and steroids
Lipid - Triglycerides
Function
Energy storage, insulation, protection
Triglycerides (triacylglycerol) are three fatty
acids joined to glycerol
The fatty acids are covalently linked by an
ester linkage through a condensation
reaction
Lipid - Phospholipids
Function
Backbone of cell membranes
Similar structure as triglycerides but have:
Glycerol
2 fatty acids
Phosphate group (negatively charged)
R group
Phospholipids are amphiphathic
Phosphate end of molecule soluble in water -hydrophilic.
Lipid (fatty acid) end is not soluble in water -hydrophobic.
Examples of Biomacromolecules
Carbohydrates – sugars, polymers of
sugars
Lipids – triglycerides (fats and oils),
phospholipids, steroids, waxes
Proteins – enzymes, keratin, actin
Nucleic Acids – DNA & RNA
Proteins
Proteins account for more than 50% of the dry
mass of most cells
Protein functions include structural support,
storage, transport, cellular communications,
movement, and defense against foreign substances
Polypeptides are unbranched polymers built from
the same set of 20 amino acids
A protein is a biologically functional molecule that
consists of one or more polypeptides, each folded
and coiled into a three dimensional shape
Amino Acids
Proteins are made up of amino acids
Amino acids are organic molecules with carboxyl
and amino groups
There are 20 amino acids, each with a different
substitution for R.
Amino Acids-Side chain (R group)
Amino Acids-ionized form
Amino Acids-ionized form
Amino Acid Polymers
Amino Acid Polymers
Amino acids are linked by peptide bonds
A polypeptide is a polymer of amino acids
Polypeptides range in length from a few to more
than a thousand monomers
Each polypeptide has a unique linear sequence of
amino acids, with a carboxyl end (C-terminus) and
an amino end (N-terminus)
Structure of Proteins
Primary structure, the sequence of amino acids in a
protein, is like the order of letters in a long word
The coils and folds of secondary structure result from
hydrogen bonds between repeating constituents of the
polypeptide backbone.
Tertiary structure is determined by interactions
between R groups, rather than interactions between
backbone constituents
Quaternary structure results when two or more
polypeptide chains form one macromolecule
Examples of Biomacromolecules
Carbohydrates – sugars, polymers of
sugars
Lipids – triglycerides (fats and oils),
phospholipids, steroids, waxes
Proteins – enzymes, keratin, actin
Nucleic Acids – DNA & RNA
Nucleic acids
The amino acid sequence of a polypeptide is
programmed by a unit of inheritance called a gene
Genes are made of DNA, a nucleic acid made of
monomers called nucleotides
There are two types of nucleic acids
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Nucleotides
• Nucleotides are the monomers that make up nucleic
acids.
• Each nucleotide is made up of three components:
– A pentose sugar
– A phosphate group with a negative charge
– A nitrogen base
Nucleotides
DNA provides directions for its own replication
DNA directs synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA)
and, through mRNA, controls protein synthesis
Protein synthesis occurs on ribosomes
