Macromolecules are giant molecules with many atoms and very large masses for a molecule. Cells can combine small organic molecules into large macromolecules, forming a higher level in the biological hierarchy. Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids are the four major classes of organic compounds in cells.
Nearly all macromolecules include the element carbon as a building block, because it is the only element that readily forms a giant chain or networks by bonding to other carbon atoms and other elements. Chemists can create macromolecules in labs. Most of the synthetic, or made in labs, macromolecules are polymers, which are large molecule built ups from smaller building block molecules, called monomers. On the other hand, living organisms build polymers and others complex macromolecules through natural process. Monomers of all classes of macromolecules form larger molecules by dehydration synthesis, a chemical reaction in which one monomer donates a hydroxyl and the other a hydrogen, thus forming a water molecule.
A polymer's properties depend on its size, it monomers, the strength of its bonds, and whether links form between different parts of the molecule. Synthetic polymers include the plastics polystyrene, polyester, nylon and polyvinyl chloride. Strong synthetic polymers form fibers for clothing and other materials. Synthetic fibers usually last longer than natural fibers.
Living organisms produce three main types of biological polymers. They are polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids. .
Polysaccharides are made of linked sugar molecules, such as fructose and glucose. Most macromolecular carbohydrates are polysaccharides, which typically serve as carbon and energy storage molecules (starch) or as structural materials (in plants, and insects). Carbohydrates are the most abundant organic compounds found in nature. They are produced by green plants and by bacteria using the process known as photosynthesis, in which carbon dioxide is taken from the air by means of solar energy to yield the carbohydrates.
Separating Biological Macromolecules by Agarose Gel Electrophoresis Purpose Electrophoresis is a method of separating biological macromolecules like DNA and proteins from a mixture of similar molecules. ...
Darwin's Theory says that life could have begun by mixing all of the building blocks of modern biology's macromolecules together inside of a lipid bubble called a coacervate. ... Needless to say, modern science has uncovered that cells cannot function without irreducibly complex systems of macromolecules. ... In the systems noted above, each "part- is made out of macromolecules. Indeed, everything in biology is made out of macromolecules, and life would not exist without them. A macromolecule is a large chain of molecules which, when bonded together in ...
These monomers act as building blocks for the synthesis of larger macromolecules, called polymers, by condensation reactions. ... Proteins contain the elements carbon, hydrogen; oxygen, nitrogen and sometimes sulphur, they are macromolecules consisting of one or more polypeptide chain and comprise 50% of the total dry mass of animal cells. ... For this reason proteins are regarded as informational macromolecules. ... Nucleotides are the monomers that form nucleic acids, the informational macromolecules that constitute the genetic material of all living organisms. ...
This control system can be linked through evolution to the steady state reached by macromolecules millions of years ago. ... Complex systems in nature can be seen to evolve from the steady state of macromolecules (Costa, 2002). ... The next step in this process is the idea that these molecules randomly interacting with each other would, at times form larger steady state molecules; macromolecules. ...
Mitochondria and Chloroplasts Mitochondria are found in nearly all eukaryotic cells. There may be only one, but usually there are hundreds to thousands per cell. The Mitochondria is like the powerhouse of the cell. It is directly correlated to the cell's activity. It is approximately 1-10um (mi...
Once these macromolecules are formed and distributed, simple diffusion – as in prokaryotic cells – is inefficient and too slow for a cell of such a large scale; a much more complex transport system is required. ... Again the issue of volume plays a role and even with a complex transport system in place, the rate of turnover of macromolecules is very slow compared to prokaryotic cells. ...
Assignment Describe the process of chylomicron assembly by the enterocyte [80%]. How would this process be affected in a patient with cystic fibrosis [20%]? Response Chylomicrons are fundamental molecules which ensure mobilization of exogenous lipids, these molecules mediate the ingestion of f...