The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules Flashcards

5692462620	antiparallel	Referring to the arrangement of the sugar-phosphate backbones in a DNA double helix (they run in opposite 5′ → 3′ directions).	0
5692465519	chitin	A structural polysaccharide, consisting of amino sugar monomers, found in many fungal cell walls and in the exoskeletons of all arthropods.	1
5692465520	catalyst	A chemical agent that selectively increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction.	2
5692468571	double helix	The form of native DNA, referring to its two adjacent antiparallel polynucleotide strands wound around an imaginary axis into a spiral shape.	3
5692472429	enzyme	A macromolecule serving as a catalyst, a chemical agent that increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction. Most enzymes are proteins.	4
5692478481	fat	A lipid consisting of three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule; also called a triacylglycerol or triglyceride.	5
5692481743	fatty acid	A carboxylic acid with a long carbon chain. Fatty acids vary in length and in the number and location of double bonds; three fatty acids linked to a glycerol molecule form a fat molecule, also known as a triacylglycerol or triglyceride.	6
5692481744	glycogen	An extensively branched glucose storage polysaccharide found in the liver and muscle of animals; the animal equivalent of starch.	7
5692485436	glycosidic linkage	A covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides by a dehydration reaction.	8
5692488385	hydrolysis	A chemical reaction that breaks bonds between two molecules by the addition of water; functions in disassembly of polymers to monomers.	9
5692493478	lipid	Any of a group of large biological molecules, including fats, phospholipids, and steroids, that mix poorly, if at all, with water.	10
5692497386	monomer	The subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer.	11
5692497387	Monosaccharide	The 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 CH2O.	12
5692500518	nucleic acid	A 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.	13
5692505691	nucleotide	The building block of a nucleic acid, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and one or more phosphate groups.	14
5692505692	peptide bond	The covalent bond between the carboxyl group on one amino acid and the amino group on another, formed by a dehydration reaction.	15
5692508798	phospholipid	A 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.	16
5692515651	polymer	A long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together by covalent bonds.	17
5692515652	polynucleotide	A polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers in a chain. The nucleotides can be those of DNA or RNA.	18
5692518760	polypeptide	A polymer of many amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.	19
5692523798	polysaccharide	A polymer of many monosaccharides, formed by dehydration reactions.	20
5692523799	protein	A biologically functional molecule consisting of one or more polypeptides folded and coiled into a specific three-dimensional structure.	21
5692526506	purine	One of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring fused to a five-membered ring. Adenine (A) and guanine (G) are purines.	22
5692530904	pyrimidine	One of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring. Cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U) are pyrimidines.	23
5692534966	ribonucleic acid (RNA)	A type of nucleic acid consisting of a polynucleotide made up 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.	24
5692534967	ribose	The sugar component of RNA nucleotides.	25
5692538684	sickle-cell disease	A recessively inherited human blood disorder in which a single nucleotide change in the β-globin gene causes hemoglobin to aggregate, changing red blood cell shape and causing multiple symptoms in afflicted individuals.	26
5692542201	trans fat	An unsaturated fat, formed artificially during hydrogenation of oils, containing one or more trans double bonds.	27
5692546448	triacylglycerol	A lipid consisting of three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule; also called a fat or triglyceride.	28
5692551176	unsaturated fatty acid	A fatty acid that has one or more double bonds between carbons in the hydrocarbon tail. Such bonding reduces the number of hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon skeleton.	29
5692553751	X-ray crystallography	A technique used to study the three-dimensional structure of molecules. It depends on the diffraction of an X-ray beam by the individual atoms of a crystallized molecule.	30