Structures and

functions of biological
molecules
By: Rona G. Gidoc
Recall:
Cell Cycle

Mitosis and Meiosis

 Objectives
• Describe the components of an enzyme.

1. Describe the structure and function of lipids, nucleic acids,

carbohydrates and proteins.
2. Show the relationship between lipids, nucleic acids, proteins
and carbohydrates including the connection between their
subunits and elements that make up the molecules.
 Biomolecule is the molecule that is
present in all living organisms, involved
in the maintenance and metabolic
process
6
• All Biomolecule contain CARBON C
12
• Carbon is the most versatile and prominent element of life
• Other elements –
 HYDROGEN(H)
 OXYGEN(O)
 NITROGEN (N)
 SULPHUR (S)
 SODIUM (Na)
 CALCIUM (Ca)
 MAGNESIUM (Mg)
 BIOMOLECULES
BIOMOLECULES

INORGANIC ORGANIC

These are very large molecules of many

ATOMS covalently bonded CARBOHTDRATES
LIPIDS
ENERGY is stored in the COVALENT BONDS. PROTEINS
When we eat ,we get ENERGY to lives because NUCLIC ACIDS
chemical reactions within our bodies break ENZYMES
these bonds VITAMINS
 CO2 Carbon Dioxide

Inorganic

• An inorganic compound is a substance that does not contain both

carbon and hydrogen.
• A great many inorganic compounds do contain hydrogen atoms,
such as water (H2O) and the hydrochloric acid (HCl) produced by
your stomach.
• Carbon dioxide, CO2, is another example of an inorganic compound
organic
Organic compound, any of a large class of chemical compounds in which one
or more atoms of carbon are covalently linked to atoms of other elements,
most commonly hydrogen, oxygen, or nitrogen.
Biomolecule
• 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.
BIOMOLECULES
• Among biomolecules, nucleic acids,
namely DNA and RNA, have the
unique function of storing an
organism’s genetic code
• genetic code, the sequence of
nucleotides in deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) that
determines the amino acid sequence
of proteins.
• which are of critical importance to
life on Earth.
BIOMOLECULES
• Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is an
organic chemical that contains
genetic information and instructions
for protein synthesis. It is found in
most cells of every organism.
• Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a molecule DNA
that is present in the majority of
living organisms and viruses.
a. It is made up of nucleotides,
which are ribose sugars
attached to nitrogenous bases
and phosphate groups.
Biomolecule
• 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.
Carbohydrates
CARBOHYDRATES
• THE MOST ABUNDANT ORGANIC MOLECULES IN NATURE.
• naturally occurring compound, or a derivative of such a compound, with the general
chemical formula Cx(H2O)y, made up of molecules of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and
oxygen (O)

HYDRATE DE CARBON i.e. HYDRATE OF CARBON or

Cn(H2O)n

• Main source of ENERGY

• Provide some STRUCTUR

• PRECURSORs of many organic compounds – FATS, AMINO ACIDS
• STORAGE FORM of ENERGY
(Glycogen Animals)
(Starch Plants)
 CARBOHYDRATES

SIMPLE COMPLEX

POLYSACCHARIDE –
MONOSACCHARIDE DISACCHARIDE – OLIGOSACCHARIDE STARCH,
– GLUCOSE, MALTOSE, –
GLYCOGEN,
FRUCTOSE, SUCROSE, RAFFINOSE
LACTOSE CELLULOSE,
GALACTOSE STACHYOSE
DEXTRIN
 monosaccharide
• monosaccharide, any of the basic
compounds that serve as the
building blocks of carbohydrates
• Monosaccharides are the simplest
carbohydrates
• they conform to the general
chemical formula (CH2O)x and are
termed simple sugars.
• The most commonly occurring
monosaccharides contain three to
six carbon atoms in an unbranched
single-bonded chain
 monosaccharide
• The three most
common
monosaccharides
are glucose, fructose,
and galactose. In
addition to these three
sugars, the
monosaccharide
category also includes
sugar alcohols and
pentoses.
 monosaccharide
• Glucose (sugar) mainly comes
from carbohydrates in the
food and drinks you consume.
• It's your body's main source
of energy. Your blood carries
glucose to all of your body's
cells to use for energy.
• Several bodily processes help
keep your blood glucose in a
healthy range.
 monosaccharide
• Fructose is a type of sugar
known as a
monosaccharide.
• like other sugars, fructose
provides four calories per
gram.
• Fructose is also known as
“fruit sugar” because it
primarily occurs naturally
in many fruits.
monosaccharide
• Galactose, a member of a group of
carbohydrates known as simple sugars
(monosaccharides).
• It is usually found in nature combined
with other sugars, as, for example, in
lactose (milk sugar).
• Galactose is a reducing monosaccharide
containing six carbon atoms (C₆H₁₂O₆),
making it an hexose.
• Galactose is found in dairy products,
avocados, sugar beets, other gums.
• glucose production, it is an important
energy-providing nutrient. This is
essential during the early developmental
stages of mammalian infants
SOME STRUCTURE OF MONOSACCHARIDE

GLYCERALDEHYDE DIHYDROXYACETONE ERYTHROSE RIBULOSE

GLUCOSE FRUCTOSE GALACTOSE

OLIGOSACCHARIDES

CARBOHYDRATES THAT CONTAINS 2-9 MONOSACCHARIDE UNITS CONNECTED BY

GLYCOSIDIC LINKAGE.
DISACCHARIDES : 2 MONOSACCHARIDE UNITS ( SIMILAR OR DISSIMILAR )
CRYSTALLINE, WATER SOLUBLE, SWEET IN TASTE

MALTOSE : MALT SUGAR , SUCROSE : CANE SUGAR LACTOSE : MILK SUGAR

TRISACCHARIDES TETRASACCHARIDES

RAFFINOSE

THE SMALLEST AND THE COMMONEST OLIGOSACCHARIDES ARE DISACCHARIDES

POLYSACCHARIDES

 KNOWN AS GLYCANS
 REPEATING MONOSACCHARIDE UNITS CONNECTED BY GLYCOSIDIC BONDS
 ALMOST INSOLUBLE
 NOT SWEET
 IDEAL STORAGE AND STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS
 2 TYPES –
a) HOMOPOLYSACCHARIDES b) HETAROPOLYSACCHARIDES
( ONLY ONE TYPE OF MONOSACCHARIDE (CONDENSATION OF 2 OR MORE TYPES
MONOMERS ) OF MONOSACCHARIDES)
STARCH, GLYCOGEN, CELLULOSE PEPTIDOGLYCAN, HYALURONIC ACID,
AGAR, CHITIN
STORAGE POLYSACCHARIDES

STRACH = AMYLOSE + AMYLOPECTIN

 CARBOHYDRATE RESERVE OF PLANTS
 IMPORTANT DIETARY SOURCE FOR ANIMAL
 HOOPOLYMER OF GLUCOSE : GLUCAN

GLYCOGEN
 CARBOHYDRATE RESERVE IN ANIMAL : ANIMAL STRACH
 HIGH CONCENTRATION IN LIVER, MUSCLE , BRAIN
 MADE UP OF GLUCOSE UNIT
INULIN

 POLYMER OF FRUCTOSE : FRUCTOSAN

 FOUND IN DAHLIA, GARLIC, ONION etc
 NOT REDAILY METABOLISED IN HUMAN BODY
 READILY FILTERED THROUHG THE KIDNEY; USED FOR KIDNEY FUNCTION TEST
STRUCTURAL POLYSACCHARIDES

CELLULOSE
 MOST ABUNDANT ORGANIC SUBSTANCE IN PLANT KINGDOM
 PREDOMINANT CONSTITUENT OF PLANT CELL WALL
 TOTALLY ABSENT IN ANIMALS

CHITIN
 SECOND MOST ABUNDANT ORGANIC SUBSTANCE
 COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATE OF HETAROPOLYSACCHARIDE
 FOUND IN INSECTS ,PROVIDE STRENTH AND ELASTICITY
 Lipids
• Lipids are an essential component
of the cell membrane. The
structure is typically made of a
glycerol backbone, 2 fatty acid
tails (hydrophobic), and a
phosphate group (hydrophilic).
• A lipid is any of various organic
compounds that are insoluble in
water.
• They include fats, waxes, oils,
hormones, and certain
components of membranes and
function as energy-storage
molecules and chemical
messengers.
• Together with proteins and
carbohydrates, lipids are one of
the principal structural
components of living cells.
 Why are lipids are
important?
• Lipids are a diverse group of
compounds and serve many
different functions.
• At a cellular level, phospholipids
and cholesterol are some of the
primary components of the
membranes that separate a cell
from its environment.
• Lipid-derived hormones, known
as steroid hormones, are
important chemical messengers
and include testosterone and
estrogens.
• At an organismal level
triglycerides stored in adipose
cells serve as energy-storage
depots and also provide thermal
insulation.
Nucleic acids
• Nucleic acids are naturally
occurring chemical
compounds that serve as
the primary information-
carrying molecules in cells.
• They play an especially
important role in directing
protein synthesis.
• The two main classes of
nucleic acids are
deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) and ribonucleic acid
(RNA).
Nucleic acids
• Nucleic acids are long
chainlike molecules
composed of a series of
nearly identical building
blocks called nucleotides.
• Each nucleotide consists of
a nitrogen-containing
aromatic base attached to
a pentose (five-carbon)
sugar, which is in turn
attached to a phosphate
group.
Proteins
• Proteins are another
class of indispensable
biomolecules, which
make up around 50per
cent 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.
Structure of
Proteins
• Due to different
rearrangement of amino
acids, the structure of
proteins divides into
four types:
1. Primary- the covalent
linkages of the
proteins
2. Secondary
3. Tertiary
4. Quarternary
Structure of
Proteins
1. Primary- the covalent
linkages of the
proteins

2. Secondary- the linear

peptide chains fold
either into an alpha-
helical structure(coiled)
or a beta-pleated
structure(sheets) which
contain hydrogen bonds.
 Structure of
Proteins
3. Tertiary- The arrangement
and interconnection of
proteins into specific loops
and bends forms the
tertiary structures.
This structure contains
hydrogen, ionic and
disulfide bonds.

4. Quaternary- this structure

is proteins containing more
than one peptide chain.
• Proteins are made up of smaller units known as amino
acids and the bond linking them is known as a peptide
bond.
• This bond is formed when the carboxyl group (-COOH) of
one amino acid bonds with the amino group (– NH2) of
another amino acid releasing a molecule of water (H2O).
• A peptide may be dipeptide, tripeptide, and polypeptide.
THANK YOU………