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| An organic molecule possessing both carboxyl and amino groups. Amino acids serve as the monomers of proteins. |
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| A sugar (monosaccharide) or one of its dimers (disaccharides) or polymers (polysaccharides). |
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| A structural polysaccharide of cell walls, consisting of glucose monomers joined by β-1, 4-glycosidic linkages. |
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| A structural polysaccharide of an amino sugar found in many fungi and in the exoskeletons of all arthropods. |
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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. |
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| A reaction in which two molecules become covalently bonded to each other through the loss of a small molecule, usually water; also called a dehydration reaction. |
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| In proteins, a process in which a protein unravels and loses its native conformation, thereby becoming biologically inactive. In DNA, the separation of the two strands of the double helix. Denaturation occurs under extreme conditions of pH, salt concentration, and temperature. |
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| deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) |
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Definition
| A double-stranded, helical nucleic acid molecule capable of replicating and determining the inherited structure of a cell’s proteins. |
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Definition
| A double sugar, consisting of two monosaccharides joined by dehydration synthesis. |
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| A long carbon chain carboxylic acid. Fatty acids vary in length and in the number and location of double bonds; three fatty acids linked to a glycerol molecule form fat. |
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Definition
| A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses). |
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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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Definition
| A covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides by a dehydration reaction. |
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Definition
| A chemical process that lyses, or splits, molecules by the addition of water. |
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Definition
| A type of weak chemical bond formed when molecules that do not mix with water coalesce to exclude the water. |
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Definition
| One of a family of compounds, including fats, phospholipids, and steroids, that are insoluble in water. |
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| A giant molecule formed by the joining of smaller molecules, usually by a condensation reaction. Polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids are macromolecules. |
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Definition
| The subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer. |
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Definition
| The simplest carbohydrate, active alone or serving as a monomer for disaccharides and polysaccharides. Also known as simple sugars, the molecular formulas of monosaccharides are generally some multiple of CH2O. |
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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
| Ahe 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
| The covalent bond between two amino acid units, formed by a dehydration reaction. |
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| A molecule that is a constituent of the inner bilayer of biological membranes, having a polar, hydrophilic head and a nonpolar, hydrophobic tail. |
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Definition
| A long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together. |
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Definition
| A polymer 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 polymer (chain) of many amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. |
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Definition
| A polymer of up to over a thousand monosaccharides, formed by dehydration reactions. |
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Definition
| The level of protein structure referring to the specific sequence of amino acids. |
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Definition
| A three-dimensional biological polymer constructed from a set of 20 different monomers called amino acids. |
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Definition
| One of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides. Cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U) are pyrimidines. |
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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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Definition
| One of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides. Adenine (A) and guanine (G) are purines. |
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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 and as the genome of some viruses. |
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Definition
| The localized, repetitive coiling or folding of the polypeptide backbone of a protein due to hydrogen bond formation between peptide linkages. |
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Definition
| A storage polysaccharide in plants consisting entirely of glucose. |
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Definition
| A type of lipid characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of four rings with various functional groups attached. |
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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
| Three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule. |
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