BiomoleculesAsia Le, Madina Malik & Lily Xiong

Carbohydrates

- carbon, hydrogen, oxygen- sugars linked together- types: monosaccharides, disaccharides,

polysaccharides

Lipids

- fatty acid chains linked together- ex: Triglycerides and Phospholipids

Proteins

- amino acids joined together- carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen- primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary

structure, quaternary structure

Nucleic Acids

- Nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, phosphate group- Nitrogenous bases: adenine, guanine, thymine, cytosine- Purine-two rings (A & G), Pyrimidine-one ring (T, C, U)- ex: DNA & RNA

Why Do We Need...

Lipids - insulation- long term energy storage

Carbohydrates - fast energy

Why Do We Need...

Proteins - Do everything in the body - catalyze, can be hormones, transport

Nucleic Acids - store information

How do we use...

Lipids - Energy is stored in fat- Broken down

Carbohydrates- Energy taken from food- Broken down for respiration etc.

How do we use...

Proteins - Enzymes catalyze- Can transport

Nucleic Acids - DNA and RNA

Where Can We Find...

Proteins- Pretty much anywhere in the body - Perform a variety of tasks in all parts of

cells (catalysts, enzymes, motor proteins etc.)

Where Can We Find...

Carbohydrates- Found in the bloodstream shortly after

eating- Found in any cell because

monosaccharides are broken down for energy (respiration)

Where Can We Find...

Lipids- Any cell membrane- Hormones- Blood (cholesterol)- Brain (nerve insulation)- Animal tissue

Where Can We Find...

Nucleic Acids (DNA & RNA)- Nuclei of cells- Cytoplasm (during translation)

Where Do We Get..

Lipids- mostly triglycerides from oils and animal

fats we eat- some phospholipids and cholesterols also

from food- we can make most fatty acids, but some

are essential

Where Do We Get...

Carbohydrates- obtained from starchy foods: bread, rice,

pasta, cereals etc.

Where Do We Get..

- Proteins- essential amino acids come from cereal

grains and legumes- other amino acids made in the body

Where Do We Get..

Nucleic Acids- building blocks for human DNA and RNA

can be obtained from food- fish, fruit and legumes contain a lot of

nucleic acids