The Four Biomolecules

Carbohydrates The Carbohydrates are composed entirely of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They have the general molecular formula CH2O, and thus were once thought to represent "hydrated carbon". Starch and cellulose are two common carbohydrates. Both are macromolecules, polymers (polysaccharides),

monomers (monosaccharides). The monomers of both starch and cellulose are the same: units of the sugar glucose.

Sugars: Monosaccharides: Three common sugars share the same molecular formula: C6H12O6. Because of their six carbon atoms, each is a hexose.

They are:

1. GLUCOSE . 2. GALACTOSE . 3. FRUCTOSE . Glucose, Galactose, and Fructose are monosaccharides. Two monosaccharides can be linked together to form a disaccharide.

Disaccharides: an example of three common Disaccharides: 1. Sucrose — common table sugar = glucose + fructose 2. Lactose — major sugar in milk = glucose + galactose 3. Maltose — product of starch digestion = glucose + glucose

The molecular formula of each of these disaccharides is C12H22O11 = 2 C6H12O6 − H2O

Polysaccharides: Starches: Starches are polymers of glucose. There are two types of starches: 1. Amylose. 2. Amylopectin. Starches are insoluble in water and thus can serve as storage depots of glucose.

Glycogen: Animals store excess glucose by polymerizing it to form glycogen. The structure of glycogen is similar to that of amylopectin, although the branches in glycogen tend to be shorter and more frequent. Glycogen is broken back down into glucose when energy is needed (a process called glycogenolysis). Cellulose: Cellulose is probably the single most abundant organic molecule in the biosphere. It is the major structural material of which plants are made.

Lipids: All Lipids are hydrophobic, that’s the one property they have in common. This group of molecules includes fats and oils, waxes, phospholipids, steroids (like cholesterol), and some other related compounds. Fats and oils are made from two kinds of molecules: glycerol and three fatty acids joined by dehydration synthesis.

Structure of Fatty Acids The “tail” of a fatty acid is a long hydrocarbon chain, making it hydrophobic. The “head” of the molecule is a carboxyl group which is hydrophilic. The terms saturated, mono-unsaturated, and poly-unsaturated refer to the number of hydrogens attached to the hydrocarbon tails of the fatty acids as compared to the number of double bonds between carbon atoms in the tail.

Phospholipids Phospholipids are made from glycerol, two fatty acids, and a phosphate group with some other molecule attached to its other end. The hydrocarbon tails of the fatty acids are still hydrophobic, but the phosphate group end of the molecule is hydrophilic because of the oxygen with all of their pairs of unshared electrons. The phospholipids are soluble in both water and oil.

Steroids A steroid is a terpenoid lipid characterized by a carbon skeleton with four fused rings. Steroids vary by the functional groups attached to these rings and the oxidation state of the rings. Hundreds of distinct steroids are found in plants, animals, and fungi. The steroids are: estrogen, progesterone, corticosteroids, aldosterone, testosterone, and Vitamin D.

Proteins Proteins are the most versatile of molecules, carrying out both most of the molecular functions and providing many of the molecular structures that support life. The kinds of proteins are: · Keratin: It is a strong protein that protects epithelial cells from Non and mechanical stresses that result in cell death. It is found in hair, nails, skin and teeth. · Collagen: It is an abundant protein in tissues. Approximately a quarter of your body’s proteins are collagen. It is found in all of our tissues like ligaments, skin, tendons, etc. · Hemoglobin: It is the protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to tissues and CO2 from the tissues back to the lungs. It is found in the red blood cells. · Actin & Miosyne: These proteins are found in the muscles and they’re in charge of its contraction and relaxation.

Nucleic Acids

DNA and RNA

A nucleic acid is a macromolecule composed of chains of monomeric nucleotides. The most common nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Nucleic acids are universal in living things, as they are found in all cells and viruses.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) Ribonucleic acid, or RNA, is a nucleic acid polymer consisting of nucleotide monomers, which plays several important roles in the processes of transcribing genetic information from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) into proteins. RNA acts as a messenger between DNA and the protein synthesis complexes known as ribosomes, forms vital portions of ribosomes, and serves as an essential carrier molecule for amino acids to be used in protein synthesis.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information and DNA Is often compared to a set of blueprints, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA molecules. The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes

Diseases related to the Biomolecules  Anemia: Anemia is the lack of red blood cells.  Arthrosis: Arthrosis is a disease produced by the debilitation of the cartilage and when it wears out.  Diabetes: Diabetes is a disease in wich the people have a high amount of glucose in their blood.  Obesity: Obesity is a disease in which the body has an excess proportion of fat in their body.

Biomolecular diseases present in my family . My cousin suffers of obesity. He used to eat fast food and rarely did exercises, but now he eat health food and do exercises. .My uncle suffers of diabetes. He doesn’t eat food with a high content of glucose.