Introduction to Biomolecules and Enzymes

Biomolecules

• Biomolecules are the fundamental building blocks of organisms, facilitating biological processes. They are also known as macromolecules or polymers.
• Inorganic molecules (80%) are carbon-free, including water and inorganic salts.
• Organic molecules (20%) contain carbon, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Dehydration/Condensation Synthesis

• Two or more monomers combine to form polymers through the removal of a water molecule.
• The process creates water and polymers.

Hydrolysis Reaction

• Molecules break down by reacting with water.
• Polymers are broken down into monomers.
• Water is added to break the bonds between monomers.
• This process is essential for digestion.

Enzymes

• Enzymes are biological molecules that speed up or catalyze reactions.
• They are crucial for chemical reactions within organisms.
• "Ase" is a common suffix for enzymes.
• Some enzymes cannot digest artificial sweeteners.

Polymers

• Polymers are long chains of many small molecules (monomers).
• They are large complex molecules.
• Examples include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Monomers

• Monomers are small molecules that can combine to form polymers.
• They include monosaccharides (carbohydrates), fatty acids (lipids), amino acids (proteins), and nucleotides (nucleic acids).

Nucleic Acids

• Nucleic acids store and express genomic information.
• They are made of three subunits: phosphate, sugar (pentose), and nitrogenous base.

DNA and RNA

• DNA is double-stranded and RNA is single-stranded.
• These structures differ in the sugar and nitrogenous base they use.
• DNA: deoxyribose, adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine
• RNA: ribose, adenine, uracil, guanine, cytosine
• Rules of base pairing: A pairs with T (DNA), & A pairs with U (RNA); C pairs with G in both DNA and RNA.
• The genetic code is held in the sequence of nucleotides carried by nucleic acids.

Proteins

• Proteins are polymers of amino acids.
• They have varying functions depending on their structure and amino acid sequence (which is determined by DNA).
• Functions include enzymes, structural components, motility (movement), transport, hormones, regulatory proteins, receptors, and defensive proteins (immune system).

Sickle Cell Anemia

• A change in the order of primary proteins can cause an inherited disorder resulting in having too few healthy red blood cells. This affects the body's ability to carry oxygen.

Protein Denaturation

• Protein shape and function can change due to environmental factors like pH, salt concentration, and temperature.
• This can cause the protein to become inactive.

Amino Acids

• Amino acids are the monomers that make up proteins.
• Different amino acids have different side chains, which affect a protein's properties and function.