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AP Biology CH 5: THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF MACROMOLECULES Flashcards

AP BIOLOGY CHAPTER 5: THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF MACROMOLECULES

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94456156macromoleculeA giant molecule formed by the joining of smaller molecules, usually by a condensation reaction. Polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids are examples of this type of molecule.0
94456157polymerA long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together.1
94456158monomerThe subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer.2
94456159condensation reaction (dehydration reaction)A reaction in which two molecules become covalently bonded to each other through the loss of a small molecule, usually water, in which case it is also called a dehydration reaction.3
94456160enzymeA macromolecule serving as a catalyst, a chemical agent that changes the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction.4
94456161hydrolysisA chemical process that lyses, or splits, molecules by the addition of water, functioning in disassembly of polymers to monomers.5
94456162carbohydrateA sugar (monosaccharide) or one of its dimers (disaccharides) or polymers (polysaccharides).6
94456163monosaccharideThe simplest carbohydrate, active alone or serving as a monomer for disaccharides and polysaccharides. Also known as simple sugars, monosaccharides have molecular formulas that are generally some multiple of CHO.7
94456164dissacharideA double sugar, consisting of two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic linkage formed during dehydration synthesis.8
94456165glycosidic linkageA covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides by a dehydration reaction.9
94456166polysaccharideA polymer of many monosaccharides, formed by dehydration reactions.10
94456167starchA storage polysaccharide in plants, consisting entirely of glucose monomers joined by glycosidic linkages.11
94456168glycogenAn extensively branched glucose storage polysaccharide found in the liver and muscle of animals; the animal equivalent of starch.12
94456169celluloseA structural polysaccharide of plant cell walls, consisting of glucose monomers joined by β glycosidic linkages.13
94456170chitinA structural polysaccharide, consisting of amino sugar monomers, found in many fungal cell walls and in the exoskeletons of all arthropods.14
94456171fatA lipid consisting of three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule; also called a triacylglycerol or triglyceride.15
94456172triaglycerolThree fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule; also called a fat or a triglyceride.16
94456174unsaturated fatty acidA fatty acid possessing one or more double bonds between the carbons in the hydrocarbon tail. Such bonding reduces the number of hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon skeleton.17
94456175saturated fatty acidA fatty acid in which all carbons in the hydrocarbon tail are connected by single bonds, thus maximizing the number of hydrogen atoms that are attached to the carbon skeleton.18
94456177trans fatAn unsaturated fat containing one or more trans double bonds.19
94456180phospholipidA lipid made up of glycerol joined to two fatty acids and a phosphate group. The hydrocarbon chains of the fatty acids act as nonpolar, hydrophobic tails, while the rest of the molecule acts as a polar, hydrophilic head. Phospholipids form bilayers that function as biological membranes.20
94456182steroidA type of lipid characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of four rings with various chemical groups attached.21
94456184cholesterolA steroid that forms an essential component of animal cell membranes and acts as a precursor molecule for the synthesis of other biologically important steroids, such as hormones.22
94456186catalystA chemical agent that increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction.23
94456189polypeptideA polymer (chain) of many amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.24
94456191proteinA functional biological molecule consisting of one or more polypeptides folded and coiled into a specific three-dimensional structure.25
94456193amino acidAn organic molecule possessing both carboxyl and amino groups. Amino acids serve as the monomers of polypeptides.26
94456195polypeptideThe covalent bond between the carboxyl group on one amino acid and the amino group on another, formed by a dehydration reaction.27
94456198primary structureThe level of protein structure referring to the specific sequence of amino acids.28
94456200secondary structureThe localized, repetitive coiling or folding of the polypeptide backbone of a protein due to hydrogen bond formation between constituents of the backbone.29
94456202a helixA spiral shape constituting one form of the secondary structure of proteins, arising from a specific pattern of hydrogen bonding.30
94456204B pleated sheetOne form of the secondary structure of proteins in which the polypeptide chain folds back and forth. Two regions of the chain lie parallel to each other and are held together by hydrogen bonds.31
94456206tertiary structureIrregular contortions of a protein molecule due to interactions of side chains involved in hydrophobic interactions, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and disulfide bridges.32
94456207disulphide bridgesA strong covalent bond formed when the sulfur of one cysteine monomer bonds to the sulfur of another cysteine monomer.33
94456208quaternary structureThe particular shape of a complex, aggregate protein, defined by the characteristic three-dimensional arrangement of its constituent subunits, each a polypeptide.34
94456209denaturationIn proteins, a process in which a protein unravels and loses its native shape, thereby becoming biologically inactive; in DNA, the separation of the two strands of the double helix. Denaturation occurs under extreme (noncellular) conditions of pH, salt concentration, and temperature.35
94456210chaperoninA protein molecule that assists in the proper folding of other proteins.36
94456211X-ray crystallographyA technique that depends on the diffraction of an X-ray beam by the individual atoms of a crystallized molecule to study the three-dimensional structure of the molecule.37
94456212geneA discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses).38
94456213nucleic acidA polymer (polynucleotide) consisting of many nucleotide monomers; serves as a blueprint for proteins and, through the actions of proteins, for all cellular activities. The two types are DNA and RNA.39
94456214deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)A double-stranded, helical nucleic acid molecule consisting of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T); capable of replicating and determining the inherited structure of a cell's proteins.40
94456215ribonucleic acid (RNA)A type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U); usually single-stranded; functions in protein synthesis, gene regulation, and as the genome of some viruses.41
94456216polynucleotideA polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers in a chain; nucleotides can be those of DNA or RNA.42
94456217nucleotideThe building block of a nucleic acid, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.43
94456218purineOne of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring fused to a five-membered ring.44
94456219pyrimidineOne of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring.45
94456220riboseThe sugar component of RNA nucleotides.46
94456221deoxyriboseThe sugar component of DNA nucleotides, having one fewer hydroxyl group than ribose, the sugar component of RNA nucleotides.47
94456222double helixThe form of native DNA, referring to its two adjacent antiparallel polynucleotide strands wound around an imaginary axis into a spiral shape.48
94456223antiparallelThe opposite arrangement of the sugar-phosphate backbones in a DNA double helix.49
944562242 purinesAdenine (A) and guanine (G).50
944562253 pyrimidinesCytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U).51

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