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| A giant molecule formed by the joining of smaller molecules, usually by a condensation reaction. |
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| A long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together. |
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| The subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer. |
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| Condensation (Dehydration) Reaction |
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Definition
| 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. |
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| A chemical process that lyses, or splits, molecules by the addition of water, functioning in disassembly of polymers to monomers. |
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| A sugar (monosaccharide) or one of its dimers (disaccharides) or polymers (polysaccharides). |
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| The simplest carbohydrate, active alone or serving as a monomer for disaccharides and polysaccharides. |
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| A double sugar, consisting of two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic linkage formed during dehydration synthesis. |
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| A covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides by a dehydration reaction. |
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| A polymer of many monosaccharides, formed by dehydration reactions. |
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| A storage polysaccharide in plants, consisting entirely of glucose monomers joined by glycosidic linkages. |
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| An extensively branched glucose storage polysaccharide found in the liver and muscle of animals; the animal equivalent of starch. |
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| structural polysaccharide of plant cell walls, consisting of glucose monomers joined by β glycosidic linkages. |
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| A structural polysaccharide, consisting of amino sugar monomers, found in many fungal cell walls and in the exoskeletons of all arthropods. |
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| One of a group of compounds, including fats, phospholipids, and steroids, that mix poorly, if at all, with water. |
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| A lipid consisting of three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule; also called a triacylglycerol or triglyceride. |
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Definition
| A long carbon chain carboxylic acid. They vary in length and in the number and location of double bonds; three of them linked to a glycerol molecule form a fat molecule, also known as a triacylglycerol or triglyceride. |
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| An ester formed from glycerol and three fatty acid groups. They are the main constituents of natural fats and oils, and high concentrations in the blood indicate an elevated risk of stroke |
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Definition
| A 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. |
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Definition
| A 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. |
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| 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. |
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| A 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. |
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| A functional biological molecule consisting of one or more polypeptides folded and coiled into a specific three-dimensional structure. |
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| A macromolecule serving as a catalyst, a chemical agent that changes the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction. |
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| A polymer (chain) of many amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. |
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| An organic molecule possessing both carboxyl and amino groups. Amino acids serve as the monomers of polypeptides. |
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Definition
| The covalent bond between the carboxyl group on one amino acid and the amino group on another, formed by a dehydration reaction. |
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Definition
| The level of protein structure referring to the specific sequence of amino acids. |
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| The localized, repetitive coiling or folding of the polypeptide backbone of a protein due to hydrogen bond formation between constituents of the backbone. |
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Definition
| Irregular contortions of a protein molecule due to interactions of side chains involved in hydrophobic interactions, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and disulfide bridges. |
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Definition
| The particular shape of a complex, aggregate protein, defined by the characteristic three-dimensional arrangement of its constituent subunits, each a polypeptide. |
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| In 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. It occurs under extreme (noncellular) conditions of pH, salt concentration, and temperature. |
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Definition
| Proteins that assist the non-covalent folding or unfolding and the assembly or disassembly of other macromolecular structures, but do not occur in these structures when the latter are performing their normal biological functions. |
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Definition
| 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. |
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Definition
| 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 being replicated and determining the inherited structure of a cell’s proteins. |
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Definition
| 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. |
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Definition
| The building block of a nucleic acid, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group. |
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Definition
| One of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring. Cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U) are some. |
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Definition
| 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 some. |
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