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Biomolecules: Submitted By: Group 1 Margielyn Dinglasan Efren Cacao Jr. Jessibel Malaluan

Biomolecules are organic compounds found in living organisms that perform various functions. There are four major classes of biomolecules: carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. Carbohydrates serve as an energy source, proteins have structural and enzymatic functions, nucleic acids carry genetic information and direct protein synthesis, and lipids form cell membranes and store energy. Biomolecules are constructed from atoms and use chemical bonds to assemble into complex molecules that drive the key processes of life.

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41 views

Biomolecules: Submitted By: Group 1 Margielyn Dinglasan Efren Cacao Jr. Jessibel Malaluan

Biomolecules are organic compounds found in living organisms that perform various functions. There are four major classes of biomolecules: carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. Carbohydrates serve as an energy source, proteins have structural and enzymatic functions, nucleic acids carry genetic information and direct protein synthesis, and lipids form cell membranes and store energy. Biomolecules are constructed from atoms and use chemical bonds to assemble into complex molecules that drive the key processes of life.

Uploaded by

Kers Celestial
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Biomolecules

Submitted by:
GROUP 1
Margielyn Dinglasan
Efren Cacao Jr.
Jessibel Malaluan
Introduction

Biomolecules are naturally occurring chemical compounds found in living


organisms that are constructed from various combinations of key chemical elements.
Not surprisingly there are fundamental similarities in the way organisms use such
biomolecules to perform diverse tasks such as propagating the species and genetic
information, and maintaining energy production and utilization. From this it is evident
that much can be learned about the functionality of life processes in higher mammals
through the study of micro-organisms and single cells. Indeed, the study of yeast and
bacteria allowed genetic mapping before the Human Genome Project. This chapter
provides an introduction to significant biomolecules of importance in the life and
health sciences, covering their major properties and basic characteristics.
Learning Objectives
• To be aware of important chemical and physical characteristics of
biomolecules and their components.
 To recognize different classifications of biomolecules.
• To understand and be able to demonstrate knowledge of key features and
characteristics of major biomolecules.
• To identify and relate structure– function relationships of biomolecules.
• To illustrate and exemplify the impact of biomolecules in nature and science.
Body

Biomolecules are the most essential organic molecules, which are involved in
the maintenance and metabolic processes of living organisms. These non-living
molecules are the actual foot-soldiers of the battle of sustenance of life. They range
from small molecules such as primary and secondary metabolites and hormones to
large macromolecules like proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids etc.

There are four major classes of Biomolecules – Carbohydrates, Proteins,


Nucleic acids and Lipids. Each of them is discussed below.

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are chemically defined as polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones
or compounds which produce them on hydrolysis. In layman’s terms, we
acknowledge carbohydrates as sugars or substances that taste sweet. They are
collectively called as saccharides (Greek: sakcharon = sugar). Depending on the
number of constituting sugar units obtained upon hydrolysis, they are classified as
monosaccharides (1 unit), oligosaccharides (2-10 units) and polysaccharides (more
than 10 units). They have multiple functions’ viz. they’re the most abundant dietary
source of energy; they are structurally very important for many living organisms as
they form a major structural component, e.g. cellulose is an important structural fibre
for plants.

Proteins
Proteins are another class of indispensable biomolecules, which make up
around 50 percent of the cellular dry weight. Proteins are polymers of amino acids
arranged in the form of polypeptide chains. The structure of proteins is classified as
primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary in some cases. These structures are
based on the level of complexity of the folding of a polypeptide chain. Proteins play
both structural and dynamic roles. Myosin is the protein that allows movement by
contraction of muscles. Most enzymes are proteinaceous in nature.

Nucleic Acids
Nucleic acids refer to the genetic material found in the cell that carries all the
hereditary information from parents to progeny. There are two types of nucleic acids
namely, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). The main function
of nucleic acid is the transfer of genetic information and synthesis of proteins by
processes known as translation and transcription. The monomeric unit of nucleic
acids is known as nucleotide and is composed of a nitrogenous base, pentose sugar,
and phosphate. The nucleotides are linked by a 3’ and 5’ phosphodiester bond. The
nitrogen base attached to the pentose sugar makes the nucleotide distinct. There are
4 major nitrogenous bases found in DNA: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine.
In RNA, thymine is replaced by uracil. The DNA structure is described as a double-
helix or double-helical structure which is formed by hydrogen bonding between the
bases of two antiparallel polynucleotide chains. Overall, the DNA structure looks
similar to a twisted ladder.

Lipids
Lipids are organic substances that are insoluble in water, soluble in organic
solvents, are related to fatty acids and are utilized by the living cell. They include
fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins, mono-, di- or triglycerides, phospholipids,
etc. Unlike carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids, lipids are not polymeric
molecules. Lipids play a great role in the cellular structure and are the chief source of
energy.

Chemical and physical attributes of biomolecules


Atoms and elements
Chemical elements are constructed from atoms, which are small particles or
units that retain the chemical properties of that particular element. Atoms comprise a
number of different sub-atomic particles, primarily electrons, protons and neutrons.
The nucleus of an atom contains positively charged protons and uncharged
neutrons, and a cloud of negatively charged electrons surrounds this region.
Electrons are particularly interesting as they allow atoms to interact (in bonding), and
elements to become ions (through loss or gain of electrons).
Bonding
The physical processes underlying attractive interactions between atoms,
elements and molecules are termed chemical bonding. Strong chemical bonds are
associated with the sharing or transfer of electrons between bonding atoms, and
such bonds hold biomolecules together. Bond strength depends on certain factors,
and so-called covalent bonds and ionic bonds are generally categorized as ‘strong
bonds’, while hydrogen bonds and van der Waal’s forces of attraction within
molecules are examples of ‘weak bonds’.
Generalization

For instance, biomolecule also called biological molecule, any of numerous


substances that are produced by cells and living organisms. Biomolecules have a
wide range of sizes and structures and perform a vast array of functions. The four
major types of biomolecules are carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins.
Among biomolecules, nucleic acids, namely DNA and RNA, have the unique
function of storing an organism’s genetic code—the sequence of nucleotides that
determines the amino acid sequence of proteins, which are of critical importance to
life on Earth. There are 20 different amino acids that can occur within a protein; the
order in which they occur plays a fundamental role in determining protein structure
and function. Proteins themselves are major structural elements of cells. They also
serve as transporters, moving nutrients and other molecules in and out of cells, and
as enzymes and catalysts for the vast majority of chemical reactions that take place
in living organisms. Proteins also form antibodies and hormones, and they
influence gene activity.

Likewise, carbohydrates, which are made up primarily of molecules containing


atoms of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, are essential energy sources and structural
components of all life, and they are among the most abundant biomolecules on
Earth. They are built from four types of sugar unit,
monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. Lipids,
another key biomolecule of living organism, fulfill a variety of roles, including serving
as a source of stored energy and acting as chemical messengers. They also
form membranes, which separate cells from their environments and
compartmentalize the cell interior, giving rise to organelles, such as the nucleus and
the mitochondrion, in higher (more complex) organisms.
References

https://www.slideshare.net/prof_aarif/biomolecules-15689020

https://ph.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrxhWgkfPRfSw8ASwjfSQx.;_ylu=Y29sbwM
EcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Fydw--?
type=4150&param1=042d6bde739442229fef4905201fd05d&param2=20201130&param3=
Avast+Secure+Browser%7C86.1.6938.199&param4=17%7CPH
%7C2.1.194%7C1.23.0.675&hsimp=yhs-securebrowser&hspart=avast&fr=yhs-avast-
securebrowser&ei=UTF-8&p=biomolecules+example+introduction&fr2=12642

https://www.britannica.com/science/biomolecule

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